


Being a Stark

by Caspinn, kalkoenvsneoklak



Series: Sweet Child of Mine [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Break Up, Building a Superfamily, Eventual Happy Ending, Everybody becomes Peter's Family, Finished, Fixing the Accords, Getting Back Together, Major Depression, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Peter is Tony's son, Peter is a relationship therapist, Pining Steve Rogers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sick Tony Stark, Suicide Attempt, Superfamily (Marvel), building up to Civil War, or at least he tries, things are sad then happy then sad again and then happy again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-01-08 03:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 210,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12246360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caspinn/pseuds/Caspinn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalkoenvsneoklak/pseuds/kalkoenvsneoklak
Summary: Having suffered the loss of his parents, his uncle and now his girlfriend as well, Peter Parker finds himself in a dark place which he doesn't think he can find an escape from. But after finding his mother's journals, Peter quickly comes to the discovery that his dad may not really have been his real father. Realizing that he might be famous superhero Iron Man's son, Peter starts a mission to figure out what kind of man Tony Stark really is.But said man is facing troubles of his own. Tony Stark, the man of the future, keeps on being pulled back into the past, and he's having trouble in staying into the now. Especially now that the son of the very first woman he loved suddenly shows up into his life right after the woman he currently loves broke his heart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a merge of the two latest Spider-man's. Peter's life has been based upon what happened in the Amazing Spider-Man series, but Peter's character itself is based on Tom Holland's version. It's a tie-in from a story that my friend is writing, which contains the character Yaël (an original character) that will make multiple appearances in the story. As soon as her story is finished, a link to it will be added onto this story.  
> Let's make clear that neither Peter nor Tony are having the time of their lives right now. They're both dealing with some serious mental issues, and have trouble with accepting help from others.  
> Updates will be weekly.  
> I want to add that, despite the happenings from the two Amazing Spider-Mans, Peter is still just a kid. He makes mistakes, makes bad choices, and with the trauma he's gotten after everything that happened with the Goblin, he might not react rationally all the time. He's got a long way to go before he truly learns the true meaning of responsibility.

 

 

Peter never really did change his ringtone.

He can’t find it in himself to change it, mostly because it’s a little tune Gwen used to tease him with all the time. She has been the one to set it in the first place, and to change it right now would almost feel as if he would erase the memory of her.

So of course the little Spider-man tune comes out of his inside pocket the moment he slams his foot in another guy’s face. He thinks he hears said man’s nose crack, but he’s not really sure. The phone continues its happy tune while Peter drops down on the ground, a surprised grunt escaping his lips. Instinctively he reaches for the phone, remembering once more he changed the outer pocket with an inside one because he kept on losing his phone and Aunt May started to swing a wooden spoon his way – not that she would actually hit him or anything, but it’s really her only way of trying to be strict with him.

Instead, Peter just thinks she’s adorable like that.

Anyway, before he manages to take out his phone – because damn these gloves – the robber stands back up and pushes him in the back, forcing him on the ground. The air escapes from Peter’s lungs at the impact, and the phone that had finally gotten into his hands slips away.

“No!” Peter shouts in panic before pointing his hands in the direction of the device and sending a web to it in the hope that it’ll stop the fall. At the same time the goon picks him up and throws him towards the wall, causing for the phone to swing into the air and land somewhere even further.

“Ah come on!” Peter mutters out, getting himself back up and barely avoiding another blow on the head. Instead he shoots webs at the guy’s face, and pulls his phone back to him, finding it still ringing. Quickly he presses the green button, rests the phone between his ear and his shoulder, and finishes his work with the goon in front of him.

“Hello?” he asks casually, shooting a few more webs to make sure the guys stays stuck. No human being is strong enough to break out of this – at least he hopes so. With a small bow he picks up the suitcase the guy has been carrying along.

 _“Hello, am I talking to Peter Parker?”_ an unfamiliar female voice asks on the other side of the line. Peter takes a few steps away from the guy squirming on the ground just to make sure not to be overheard.

“Yes, that’s me,” Peter says, once more cursing his nonchalant way of talking. He sounds just like a messy teenager – which he _is_ , actually, being only sixteen.

“ _Ah, yes, this is Linda Mayfield. I work at Oscorp,”_ Peter almost wants to hang up right away then, remembering his former best friend Harry, and how he has transformed into something insane enough that he would kill-

He doesn’t finish that thought, not wanting to cry again with this idiot on the ground being this close. “ _We’ve been cleaning up the place since Mr. Osborne’s departure, and we’ve found some journals of your mother’s in one of the old safes. Now since you’re her only son, these documents rightfully belong to you now.”_

Peter frowns for a moment, only lightly recalling that, indeed, his mother used to work for Oscorp after leaving Stark Industries. She hadn’t been working there for very long, but apparently long enough to earn herself a safe.

“Uh, yeah sure, when can I come and get them?” Peter asks while clearing his throat. Above him he can see War Machine and Iron Man flying by, probably on their way to some sort of trouble downtown. Maybe he should see if he can be any help.

“ _You can come anytime we’re open, just ask anybody at the lobby and they’ll help you retrieve the journals,”_ the woman – Linda says. Peter nods even though the guy can’t see it. He clears away another lump in his throat.

“Yeah okay, I’ll see if I can come over later today, then,” Peter says. He’s wondering if he’s imagining the rumbling sound he’s hearing on the other side of the line.

“ _Oh my God!”_ Linda calls out and then she hangs up the phone at the exact time a police car arrives, which means that it’s time for Peter to leave. It’s not that the cops are actually looking for him, still, but he just doesn’t feel like talking much – especially since there’s something bad enough around that requires the Avengers to assemble – and probably at Oscorp. Of course…

So Peter takes the high ground, swinging himself up in the air and passing by building after building. He does notice Captain America driving by on his motorcycle, shield safely put in front of his steering wheel. Quickly enough he goes his way, dropping himself a few houses before him. Cap stops just in time, missing him by just a few millimeters.

“Whew, that was a close one, Cap,” Peter jokes, pretending to wipe away sweat from his face. The Captain just shakes his head and exhales the breath he had been holding.

“You are a reckless one, let me tell you that,” the man says, sounding kind of frightened. How adorable, the guy is thinking about his safety. Peter feels honored, if it wasn’t for the fact that the Captain has no idea who exactly he is behind the mask.

“Yeah, I was wondering if I could get a ride, maybe I can help out and all? Besides, I’ve always wanted to make a trip on Captain America’s motorcycle,” Peter jokes. The Captain sits up a little bit, but there’s a smirk on his face that gives Peter enough hope that he’ll accept his proposition.

“Aren’t you a bit too young to-“ the man starts, but then he sighs and shakes his head. Eventually he pats the backseat and waits for Peter to sit himself down, which he does. After that, they start driving again, this time with Peter making ‘whooosh’ noises in the back.

The closer they get to the scene, the more police cars there are showing. They appear to have made a perimeter, and there are hundreds of people standing at the sidelines trying to catch a glimpse of what is happening.

When it’s clear that there’s no way for them to get through, neither of them need to speak for Peter to know what he needs to do. Peter puts a few webs on his legs against the cycle to make sure he stays on it, and then he shoots up on a few buildings, pulling themselves upwards with the vehicle included. His muscles burn from the heaviness, but it works when they practically fly above all the people without slowing down.

When they start to lower down again, Peter unintentionally wraps his arms around the Captain’s middle in a reflex, closing his eyes as they get nearer the ground.

“Hold on tightly,” the Captain jokes, and with a loud thud and a hard shock, they are back on the ground. Surprisingly, the motorcycle is still driving forward, not even having a tiny little scratch at all.

“Dude what’s this thing made off?” Peter asks in surprise, trying to calm his stomach down. The captain chuckles and then stops right in front of another car, Peter almost flying off of it.

“Tony enforced it with some of the vibranium we collected after defeating Ultron. It can take a lot more blows now,” Steve says, getting off the vehicle and taking his shield back into his arms. “Now, I see the fight is up there.”

Cap points up towards – what a surprise – Oscorp, where Peter can see Iron Man and War Machine fighting together to hold off some strange green creature. Peter’s stomach drops then, realizing who exactly it is they’re fighting.

Harry…

“Great, the Goblin,” Peter mutters. He didn’t even know the guy got out.

“Anyway, I was wondering if I could get a lift? Can you get us up there?” Peter nods, holding out his arm to allow the Captain to grab on.

He doesn’t shout or scream when they go up, which is completely opposite to what Peter’s used to. Sure, mostly he swings with people he’s just rescued, and when they’re full of adrenaline they can’t ever really keep their mouth shut. It’s a great relief for his ears when it’s completely silent next to him.

“So, since when exactly did the Goblin escape?” Peter tries to ask the moment they touch ground on the roof. So far they haven’t been spotted yet, but he knows that it won’t be the case for much longer. As he speaks, he hears his voice shake a bit, revealing a sudden emotion he knows hasn’t subsided yet – it probably never will.

“Got the call in this morning – The Fantastic Four were planning on taking care of it but they asked for back-up about half an hour ago when he moved back to the tower,” Cap says, readjusting his helmet and taking a deep sigh before removing his shield from his back straps. Then he nods towards Peter. “Thanks for the lift, Spider-Man. Now make sure you stay out of trouble. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

After that, the Captain is off, running towards the danger and the rest of his team.

Peter scoffs, thinking of how this is mostly what the Avengers keep on saying to him. He’ll show then what he’s worth; he fought off the lizard on his own, didn’t he? Or Electro? And he did that without the help of all the Avenger’s high-tech toys.

Of course, the toys _would_ be nice to work with.

Harry’s crazy laugh suddenly fills the air, and his glider passes him by as he tries to get away from a very annoyed War Machine.

Peter lowers his head as the image of a hand reaching out to his comes to mind. He takes a few deep breaths and leans forward, resting his hands on his knees. He can do this; it’s still Harry, somehow. He needs to find a way to get his friend back without hurting him too much.

Even though when said friend hurt him real bad.

“Come on, Parker,” Peter mutters to himself, shaking his arms and legs a few times before running after the Captain. His heartrate is speeding up the closer he gets, and his fists are clenched so tight that he almost doubts there’s enough blood passing through.

He notices Harry – no, the Goblin – fishing out something out of his bag when he’s almost just behind the fighting figure of Black Widow. With a cold feeling and a shudder he senses the danger before it gets there, and so even before the Goblin can make his throw Peter throws his web to fish it out of his hand. The thing is already making beeping noises, so with the lack of another idea he throws it high up in the air. Next to him, Hawkeye seems to have noticed what he’s doing, and he sends an arrow straight after it, blowing up what ends up to be a bomb high above enough that nobody would get hurt.

“Good thinking,” Hawkeye tells him, saluting him in greeting before fishing out another arrow. Widow thanks him for the quick reflexes. Peter just shrugs, not finding it that weird for him to notice things like that so quickly.

“What was that?” Mr. Stark’s voice sounds, almost metallic through the microphone of the helmet.

“It’s me, sir, Mr. Stark! It’s Spider-Man,” Peter answers nervously. Out of all the heroes, it seems like Iron Man manages to make him nervous the most.

“ _Who_?” Iron Man says, and Peter’s mouth falls open from shock. How could Iron Man not know him by now? Then he hears a chuckle coming from Iron Man’s suit. “ _Just kidding, I know who you are. Just try not to get killed_.”

“Or course not, Mr. Stark! I’ll try to be very careful!” Peter returns, glad that the guy was simply messing with him. Now, Peter looks around to try and see where he can be of use.

“Okay this is getting old,” War Machine suddenly calls out, and then he lifts up in the air and starts racing towards Harry with the gun on his shoulder pointed forward. Harry hasn’t noticed yet, and Peter intents to keep it that way. The sooner he’s back into custody, the better.

“Hey Goblin!” Peter calls out, feeling a tug in his chest when he remembers once again that it’s Harry hovering there on that glider. When Harry turns his face around, Peter shoots a few webs into his eyes. It’s a simple distraction, but it’s a welcome one apparently. Harry immediately reaches for his eyes and never sees War Machine coming when the soldier slams against him – throwing him off the glider. Rhodey holds him up by his arm and throws him back on the roof, his rockets hitting the glider hard just for good measure.

Harry is slowly crawling upright again. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four are all surrounding him, but he doesn’t really seem to care about that. Peter catches him pressing a button on his wrist, and then he holds out his arms in a defensive stance.

“ _Spider-Man_ ,” Harry hisses sarcastically once he notices him. There’s a giant grin on his face, and his tongue is passing over his lips quickly, “long time no see. How’s Gwen?”

Peter feels like the whole world around him is pausing. _You killed her, you bastard! You were my friend, and you just dropped her! Her blood is on your hands!_ The thoughts keep on going through his brain, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He doesn’t even notice the remains of the glider striking his way until he’s thrown to the side and Captain America’s shield is keeping it from piercing through him. When everybody is distracted, Harry tries to make his leave, but War Machine seems to regain his attention just in time to grab him and smash him back into the ground.

 _“Jesus, kid, we told you to be careful_ ,” Mr. Stark suddenly says, standing behind him. Peter doesn’t turn around, instead watching how everybody is moving around him. They don’t notice that he’s frozen in place, unmoving and shivering at the spot.

Peter sees how they pick Harry back up, how Iron Man hands Cap some sort of strange cuffs. War Machine is the one who takes him away, holding him in a strong grip as he flies up in the sky, followed by Iron Man carrying Cap in one arm.

In the end, Hawkeye is the only one remaining.

“You alright, kid?” the man asks him. Peter shakes himself out of his stupor, blinking a few times before turning towards Hawkeye.

“Why aren’t you going with them?” Peter asks once he finds his voice again, ignoring his question. The archer just shrugs and smirks at him.

“Why would I want to go to briefing right away? If I arrive late, maybe it’ll already be finished when I get there.” He fishes out a piece of candy from his pocket and props it into his mouth. “So who was that Gwen he was talking about? A friend? A girlfriend?”

Peter stays quiet and looks down to the ground. There’s an uneasy feeling going through his chest and he starts shaking his head, not wanting to think back to Gwen’s lifeless body in his arms.

“I couldn’t save her,” he mutters quietly. Then he looks up again, finding Hawkeye looking serious at him. He doesn’t say anything more, which is fine by Peter. He should better just go. Besides, he’s already at Oscorp, he might as well just come and pick up the things that woman called about. What was her name again?

“Can I get a lift down? I don’t really want to waste an arrow right now,” he says, trying to lighten up the conversation again. Peter crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, even though Hawkeye can’t really see that.

“You could just follow Black Widow and take the stairs?” Peter suggests. The guy turns around to watch the door towards the stairwell, looking at it like it’s the first time he’s seen it. Then he shrugs shortly.

“It’s cooler to get a ride from the Spider-kid,” Hawkeye says, snorting and biting his lips as his words seem to catch his own ears. Peter, too, instantly forgets about the heavy feeling in his chest and slaps his hand on his forehead, letting out an annoyed sigh. He probably didn’t mean to make it sound so… wrong, but at least both of them could laugh about it.

“Well how do you want to do this, then? Wanna get on my back? Or should I hold you in an embrace like Iron Man does with Cap?” he jokes along, and Hawkeye, too, starts laughing. It’s a stupid comment, though, because Iron Man doesn’t hold Cap any differently than he would with anybody else. It’s just because he’s just seen it happen a few minutes ago that he brings it up.

“Nah, man, I’ll take the stairs, that’s fine,” Hawkeye says. He lifts up his hand and instantly Peter slaps a high five onto it. “You’re not too bad at this, kid. A bit more experience, and surely the team will want to make you one of ours.” Then the Avenger is going through the door, leaving Peter alone on the roof.

_Tchhhh, experience… Is nobody going to mention the giant lizard? Or the big electrical guy?_

Alone with the thoughts in his mind. Quickly he shakes his head, groaning as he remembers his backpack with his clothes is still in that one alley, and he can’t really get into Oscorp looking like this.

Might be better, anyway. The tower is probably evacuated during the attack – and whatever was that about, anyway? It seems a bit foolish of Harry to attack the minute he’s out, right? Or maybe they’ve been chasing him the moment he got out? He wonders if he would be allowed to join the briefing to find out, but they’ve never asked him to join; that would mean he isn’t allowed, right?

Without thinking much more about it, he starts to make his way back to that alley. Seeing as he’s done quite a distance with Cap’s bicycle, it’s a bit further away than he would have liked. That means that he’s going to have to walk all the way back.

That, or take a cab. Or swing with the bag on his back.

He decides for the cab, though, feeling a strain on his muscles ever since the fight ended. He’s sure it’s not from exhaustion since he’s fought tougher and longer battles, but it’s like he’s completely emotionally drained.

He can joke all he want, and try to put on a mask – eh, figuratively speaking of course – to hide his emotions, but he can’t deny that there are a few important questions that are hanging in the air.

How did Harry escape? Who helped him? Where was he planning on going?

There are so many more things going through his mind as he stares outside the car window, but his brain feels like mush and it doesn’t feel like there will be anything coherent coming out of there anytime soon.

The drive to Oscorp takes even longer than he would have expected, probably because of the evacuation. He can see that the people are already walking back inside, so he shouldn’t have any problem retrieving his mother’s files.

And yeah, about that… he has never really stopped to wonder what that’s all about? His mother’s journals? Did she leave anything behind in Oscorp? That woman explained that they were cleaning unused safes and that hers was one of them, but how have those not been retrieved back when she was reported dead?

It probably doesn’t really matter anyway. Peter pays the fee for the cab and then gets out the moment he’s close enough. The sky is clear, so there’s no rain or sudden alien invasion, which means that he takes his time on his short walk to the building.

He’s not really looking forward on going back inside again, remembering the last time he was there he helped Gwen escape from the security guards about half a year ago. It’s the place where Dr. Connors tried to turn everybody into lizards. It’s where he was bitten by a Spider now a little longer than a year ago, genetically engineered by his father.

Still, he does make his way inside and instantly moves to the reception. The lady behind the desk just drops down the phone when he gets to her, and her smile is bright as she looks upon him.

“Hello, welcome to Oscorp. How can I help you?” the woman asks, sounding a bit too cheerful for someone who has just been evacuated from her work building because of a maniac and a bunch of superheroes on the roof.

“Yeah, I’m Peter Parker? I got a phone call a few hours ago about my mother’s belongings?” Peter tries, resting his hands on the wooden desk and trying his best not to look too uncomfortable. The woman nods and smiles even more so.

“Ah yes, we spoke on the phone earlier,” she says. “I have the journals here in this box. There are quite a few – it’s mostly scientific research and all so I don’t know if they’re going to be much use, but it’s customary for us to ask the next of kin if they want to keep the belongings.” She rambles on as she lifts up a box that looks kind of heavy for her – man how many of those books did his mother write? The moment the box is on the counter, Peter opens it to check out its content. They look real enough to him, and when he just picks one out randomly he sees that the date indeed goes back to even before he was born.

He nods lightly, closing the lids of the box again and lifting it up without an effort.

“Thank you, I’ll just take them with me,” Peter tells her. The woman – Peter remembers that her name was Linda – nods and smiles even wider than before if that’s even possible (she almost looks like the dental-model they didn’t pick because of the most exaggerated smile).

“Alright, have a good day, Mr. Parker!” she calls after him when he already starts walking. There’s no way that he’s going to take the subway with this box – it’s only going to attract the attention that he doesn’t want to have.

So instead he waves at another cab driving by, gets ignored because apparently somebody else was first, and then he tries again, succeeding this time around. He quickly offers his address and then he’s finally on his way back home. When he checks his watch he sees that it’s already six in the afternoon, meaning that the time has flown again.

There’s still traffic – there always is – so Peter starts to open the box again to fish out a few more journals, trying to find the first one of them all. He checks the date of the first page on each of them, finally finding one that reaches back to the time she still worked for Stark Industries. Peter frowns, wondering how long she’s actually been there. She’s never really told anybody much about her time there that Peter even wondered for a while if the actually even worked there at all.

Here’s the proof, though.

So he starts to read the one he suspects is the very first of them all, putting the other ones back into the box without watching. The cap driver asks if it’s alright if he puts on some music, and Peter holds his thumb up.

There’s nothing much that she’s talking about. It’s mostly formulas and drawings, a text about how Mr. Stark accepted her request for research and offered to help her with it. There doesn’t seem anything weird about it; it’s mostly the equations of whatever formula she seems to have decided to use. Peter’s a bit confused as to why exactly it is that Mr. Stark is involved seeing as it was not really his area of expertise, but back then the guy still made weapons. Those must have been developed with the help of some scientists, right?

Peter doesn’t really want to think too much about it, instead deciding to put the book back in the box when he finds that he’s already back in Queens. He sees a few classmates in their thick coats walking on the street, currently enjoying the end of their winter break. A strange feeling passes through him then, suddenly remembering how few friends he actually has at school.

The number is close to none, except for…

Shit.

Peter pulls out some money once the car stops in front of his house, and he lets out a short greeting before fake-hauling the gigantic box out of the car. He managed to act so well that even the driver got out to help him carry it to his door.

“Aunt May?” Peter asks once he gets inside. He kicks the box into the hallway and starts taking off his shoes and jacket while he waits for an answer, but then he doesn’t get one. That’s okay, it can happen, it probably means she’s still running a few hours at the hospital.

A quick look at his watch warns him that he has one more hour left before he has to leave for the pizzeria again. He lets out a long sigh, wondering when he would ever just get some free time. With a loud grunt, he drops himself on the couch, forgetting about the box full of books and instead turning on the TV.

Like he suspected, it’s all about the Goblin’s attack. There’s some footage of him fighting with the other Avengers, and somebody even managed to get a good shot at Iron Man flying by. Out of all the Avengers, Tony Stark has always been the one that gave him the most chills whenever he talked to him. It’s probably out of a scientist-perspective, but the idea that somebody as smart as Mr. Stark would even strike a conversation with him… No, he still can’t quite fathom it.

He can remember the first time he got to talk to Bruce Banner. It’s like every scientist’s dream to get a conversation with him, and goofy Peter Parker managed that – and not even as Spider-Man, no! It had been something with school, but it was mostly before he got well known about all this… Hulk-thing. 

Peter smirks at the memory of the flustered scientist. He still can’t really imagine this shy man could ever turn into such a big green rage monster. It fascinates him, especially after the Hulk has shown to be quite fond of Spider-man as well, always there to protect him if needed.

With a grunt, Peter pulls himself up again. It’s time to get changed and get ready for work. While he’s been deep into his thoughts, the time has flown by. It won’t do him good to be late _again_.

By the time he’s arrived at the Pizza-place, he quickly changes into his uniform and greets the boss, who only grunts at him in response. Deep inside, Peter knows he’s a good man. He just has trouble showing it, sometime.

His shift goes along well enough, going from seven until ten. It’s not much work, but at least it’s a little income he can offer Aunt May.

As he brings one of the pizza’s to a table nearby, he notices him. Again.

“Oh you got to be joking?” Peter mutters out. Laya, who passes him by with her own order, seems to have heard him.

“What’s wrong, Peter?” she asks in a worry. Of course, she’s always the first one to come at his side whenever something even seems to be going wrong. She might like his company a bit _too_ much, but how really can he tell her to lay off when all she’s doing is being nice?

“That creep is here again,” he mutters while he takes the money from the customers. He greets them quickly and then puts the money in his pockets to bring it to the front.

“You mean the raisin-looking guy who keeps on staring at you every Friday?” Laya asks. Peter growns in frustration, hating the pattern here. But at least now he can anticipate that he’ll have to endure the guy weekly. “But who is that girl with him? She looks kind of nice?”

And then Peter notices it, too; a younger – but not _that_ young – girl sitting there with her bright blue hair stuffed into a messy bun. Her skin is a bit darkened and there seem to be dark shadows under her hollow eyes. Her stare seems to travel from Peter to the guy, and her mouth is moving. Peter tries not to listen to it, instead turning around again to escape their gaze.

“PETERRRRR PARKEEERRRRR!” suddenly comes out from behind him, the noise filling the whole restaurant. Of course, all of his colleagues are now staring at him, making the clients in turn stare as well. Peter just stands still, knowing full well that the voice belongs to the creep.

Oh, if only he could run away, put as much distance from this creep as he can. But, he’s still at work, and ignoring a call for him – no matter how personally – could get him in serious trouble. Especially when his boss is giving him a watchful look with an eyebrow raised.

So, instead Peter sighs, drops the money onto the table along with the ticket, and then hurries to the table he’s been avoiding all evening already.

“Yes, can I help you, sir?” Peter asks, trying with all the force that he has to be polite. It’s not worth getting fired, over. Just try to look calm, don’t show that you’re annoyed as fu-

“There was a spider in my pizza,” the man says with a dark and serious voice, face dark and gloomy all of the sudden. Now that he’s seeing him from so close, Peter can get a good look at the man. He must say, all those scars all over his body and even his face… this guy must have suffered quite a lot. Maybe he got a bit crazy because of it?

“Oh, eh,” Peter already starts, beginning to take the empty plate from the table, but then the man starts to laugh like an idiot. Great, and the whole restaurant is once again looking at them. Maybe he should have just taken the job as a delivery boy, instead.

“Hah! You should have seen your face!” the guy shouts out in full amusement, hands resting on his stomach as he leans back in his chair and throws his head back in his shoulder. “No no no, I was kidding, I just need the bill, and then I want to hire you as my personal pizza-delivery boy.” That last one is said with wiggling eyebrows, and Peter knows full enough when he’s flirted with and when not, and this, right now, is the guy full on suggesting things.

“The fuck, dude?” Peter says before he can think better of it. Too bad for him, his boss had just been passing by behind him and, of course, heard the words come out of his mouth.

“PARKER!” Mr. Finelli calls out, and Peter is sure that his face has turned red. Great, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and now he’s going to get fired because of this idiot sitting at the table every Friday.

By the time he gets home again, he’s glad to say that all he’s got was a warning. At least it’s better than being fired, right? His arms are tired and once the door is closed behind him he leans back against it, probably able to fall asleep on the spot. But then his eyes drop back on the boxes full of books. Right, he had left them in the hallway.

Aunt May must have noticed them, right? Is she even home, yet?

“Aunt May?” he calls out, but once again there’s no answer. Peter sighs, shaking his head and standing up once more to grab the book he had selected as the first one. Then he quickly makes a search for the second one, as well. After that, he goes to bed, reading a bit through them but finding nothing really that catches his interest other than his mother and Mr. Stark apparently being good friends. That surprises him a bit, but he doesn’t dwell too much on it.

It’s by the time that he gets to the second book – yes, he’s finished the first one already – that there’s a first mention of his father, who by that time already worked at Oscorp.

Peter falls asleep by the time his mother agreed to go out on a date with his father.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured the second chapter could be posted as well :-) after this, it'll be weekly updates every Monday!  
> Heavy references towards Amazing Spider-Man two. We started writing this story before Homecoming came out, so we based ourselves totally on Peter's past, including the fact that the Spiders they created were modified with Richard Parker's blood.  
> That's all you need to know! :-)

_The next morning_

 “Peter?” a soft voice says when Peter gets down to catch breakfast. His nose is already buried into the third journal by now, and his attention is completely fixed on that that he actually startles when Aunt May calls out his name. “Peter what on Earth are you reading? What are those journals in that box?”

“Oh, good morning Aunt May,” Peter greets her, in an attempt to avoid her question. Last time he tried to dig into the past, she hadn’t taken it all too well. “You look good today, did you do something with your hair?”

Aunt May frowns and tilts her head to the side. “You know I went to the hairdresser yesterday before work, Peter. Don’t try to distract me, what’s in that box?”

And then Peter sighs, because he just _can’t_ keep anything quiet from his aunt. Except, you know, being a superhero, of course. So he just drops the journal he’s holding and hands it out to Aunt May after folding the corner.

“It’s mom’s journals, about the time she got to meet dad. Did you know that she and Mr. Stark were good friends?” Aunt May’s eyes open wide and she grabs the journal out of his hands to take a look at it herself.

“Oh my, I thought these were lost at Oscorp,” May says as she skims through it. “And that _whole_ box is filled with them?”

Peter nods, glad she doesn’t seem too insulted about him reading into his past. She then silently hands him the journal back.

“Well, you’ve learned some things about your father, I guess it’s time you get to know your mother a little bit better, I think,” she admits. Then she picks up her bag and takes her keys. “I’m going to the store, can you do the dishes while I’m gone?”

Peter just nods without looking up again, eyes once more rested onto the pages in front of him. Right now, his parents are exchanging the details of both their work, and they seem to find something mutual in it that they agree to work together. That, and they discuss work during a date. There’s nothing _less_ romantic than that, he supposes.

In just a matter of minutes he finishes the dishes, and then he takes a shower, glad that he doesn’t have to work today. He might as well just swing around New York for a while, take the journal with him and read a bit on a high rooftop. Could he even risk it reading on top of Avengers Tower?

He could try to get Tony Stark’s attention, right? Apparently his mother and he had been good friends; That surely must be a good enough reason to want to talk to him?

But he doesn’t think he should risk it, at all. Mr. Stark’s a busy man, and Peter’s sure he won’t have the time to talk to some kid of a woman he used to be friends with. Does the guy even know about Peter? The fact that he never even appeared in his life must mean that they didn’t part in friendship.

Still, he takes a journal, gets out of the house, and stashes his clothes in his usual alley behind the usual container. Then he goes up, journal safely tucked inside his suit. A few passengers point at him, calling out for him in the hopes to get his attention. Peter gives them a short wave, and then he’s up at last, swinging from building to building, hoping to find something good and calm he can continue reading on.

Two hours after finding a good spot, Aunt May calls him. His call with her is short, and after that he can finally put himself into finishing the third journal. Luckily he thought about bringing the fourth one along, because he’s through the third one in no time.

By the time he gets halfway through the fourth, though, something quite… strange happens. Peter shakes his head for a moment and rereads the page again, but then he finds that he’s read it correctly. His parents are together for about two years now, making it one more year before they get married. That little fact right there, though, is what’s making this next part so difficult to read, though.

_“I did something stupid last night. Richard and I had a fight earlier; he accused me of passing along all of our research to Tony. Even after two years, he still doesn’t trust me. I got angry at him, got out of the house and then found myself back at Stark Industries. I didn’t expect to find Tony there, but he offered me a few drinks once he noticed I was angry, and we got to talking.”_

Peter is almost afraid to continue, because he’s already sure what’s going to happen next.

“ _I don’t really know what happened, but the next morning I woke up next Tony, so I can only guess. Oh, how I’ve betrayed Richard, I can’t even believe it.”_

The guilt goes on like that, and Peter has to lower the journal and take a deep breath. So, his mother slept with the guy he’s just had pleasant conversation with? That’s just… wrong. Did Mr. Stark even know about his father? Was he aware that Mary had been in a relationship?

It’s better not to think too much about it. As far as Peter knows, Mr. Stark is now in a relationship with Mrs. Potts, and if the pictures are any proof, they’re actually quite happy together. So Peter takes a few deep breaths, and has to tell himself repeatedly that it’s all in the past. His mother obviously felt bad about it, so it’s not like she did it intentionally. Or Mr. Stark, for that matter.

At the end of the fourth journal, his parents are back together and they’re engaged to be married. That’s when Peter puts the journals back away again and makes his way back home. It’s almost evening and he hasn’t eaten all day besides breakfast. Quickly, he makes his way back to his alley and gets dressed back to his own self, before walking to his house. He doesn’t really feel like spending too much time there, so all he does is pick up the fifth and sixth journal, and then he makes his way to the park. It’s not like he has any friends to go to, anyway.

On the door he suddenly finds another note from his Aunt, with behind it another reminder from his school to check out the different internships. They’ve been urging him on to try and find something after messing up his pas semester. As they’ve told him, it’s not too late to bring up his grades again if he would just get his points up by applying for an internship for the rest of the school year.  

It’s crap, anyway. Peter takes the note without reading it, and balls it up to throw it into the nearest trash. He’s already accepted the fact that he’ll have to repeat the year, so whatever. At least he’ll no longer be stuck with Flash as a classmate, then.

Peter leaves the house as quickly as he came, making his way to the park. When he sees Iron Man fly by again, he can see he’s carrying Cap with him. There’s probably something happening again, but he figures they can handle it without him, right? They’ve done so for years before he ever became a hero.

Instead he buys himself a hot dog, sits down on a dry but still cold bench, and continues his mother story, finding she picked up a few weeks after she left off with a bang.

“ _I’m pregnant_.” Peter reads, and he almost chokes on his food, surprised at the bluntness. He reads about how happy his father was, and then it’s mostly wedding plans and a few more things on the Spider-stuff. To avoid awkwardness with Mr. Stark, his mother left Stark Industries and agreed to continue her work back in Oscorp. As it turns out, Mr. Stark didn’t take to that all too well, and the two ended their friendship with a fight.

Peter feels a bit sorry for Mr. Stark, though. It seems like the guy actually saw his mother as a good friend, and she just leaves him like that. Peter would feel betrayed, as well. Though, still, it’s not like Peter had that many friends, and one of them _did_ betray him after he got crazy, and the other one…

NO!

Peter shakes his head wildly to get the thought out again. He _can’t_ think of it! He can’t fall back into that dark hole. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

 To distract himself, he quickly goes through the rest of the journal, but somewhere around the end, he notices a few missing pages; they’ve simply been ripped out, he thinks. Huh, whatever his mother has written there, she surely didn’t want anybody to read those.

Everything went well during this one, his parents got married, she even added a picture of her first ultrasound of Peter, and after that he’s ready to go to the next one.

For the following few days, Peter finds himself reading about four journals a day. There’s nothing productive he really does during the day, and Aunt May even scolds him a few times for it, but she never really manages to stay angry at him for too long. That’s one of the reasons he loves her so much.

The reading slows down a bit after school picks up again. He takes them to classes, and spends most of his time just reading through them, missing whatever the teacher’s trying to teach him. About a week after receiving the journals, they have passed five years give or take. Peter knows he’s getting close to the end, because this is about the time that they disappeared. Up until now, nothing more has been said about Mr. Stark – it’s like his mother just completely banished him from her life. Meanwhile, their study with the spiders with Dr. Connors seems to have advanced, even though his mother has taken a little step back from it to take care of Peter. Somehow, once again, Peter finds a few pages missing, and by then he wonders what his mother would probably not have wanted in written evidence.

But it’s this twentieth journal that changes everything.

“ _Richard doesn’t trust Oscorp anymore. He thinks they want to use the formula for power, instead of changing the world for good. I don’t know why he’s suddenly so paranoid about it, but it can’t be for nothing._

_He told me he’s adding his blood to the spiders, so the only effect it will have is to his own blood. I know he’s talking about little Peter, for when he’s older. But he doesn’t know, can never know. The Spiders won’t have the desired effect on Peter at all, if it’s a matter of blood._

_So, that night after Richard took his blood, I exchanged the vial . Only that way, I can be sure that Peter will be safe, and that he will become the hero that I know he’s destined to become.”_

Wait, what? Hold on for just a second!

Exchanged blood? The hero he’s destined to become? What is she talking about? Does she somehow already know that he’s going to become Spider-Man? And why on Earth would his father’s blood not work on him?

Unless…

Richard Parker wasn’t his father?

“What, no, you can’t leave it here?” Peter calls out in middle of his class, earning him a detention after that and the confiscation of his journal until the end of the day. Still, the journal is empty after this one; no more notes are written. This is it; the last thing she wrote down before she died.

And with that, taking along a big secret.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, mom!” Peter calls out in annoyance, sitting in the park after getting the booklet back and taking his time to go through it again. He drops the journal down on the grass and leans his head back against the tree he was sitting in front of. Talk about cliffhangers, for crying out loud.

So, if he’s correct, his mother had some kind of view into the future and knew that Peter would get infected with the spiders. That’s just crazy, but about the only explanation he has. Maybe there are mutants around that can go back into the past? Maybe somebody warned her?

But then still, _why_ would his dad’s blood not work on him? It can only mean that his father isn’t really his father, right? Is that maybe why Mary teared out all those pages? Did those reveal his real father and didn’t she want her husband to ever know about that?

Who could it possibly be?

At that moment, a loud noise comes from further into the park. Peter recognizes that noise as a fight taking place, and he figures he could help out a bit. He quickly jumps into the bushes and changes his clothes before anybody can really notice it, and then he’s on his way.

A distraction, perfect. Exactly what he needs right now.

Except for when it’s the Goblin.

Peter already wants to turn back around once he sees Harry’s familiar figure circling around Hawkeye and Widow. The Archer is busy pointing his arrow but the Goblin moves too fast for him and he doesn’t seem to get a good aim at all. Widow is pointing her bites at him, shooting a few times but missing as well.

Cap and Iron Man arrive together, the two of them ready to charge the moment they get there. They’re followed by Falcon and War Machine. Somehow, the Goblin seems to have pissed off enough of them to call out for so many Avengers. Which reminds him that he hasn’t seen Thor fly around for a long time.

“Spidey! Come to play?” Goblin calls out, and at that time he throws out some of his bombs. Peter is a bit too late to notice them so the jump to the side isn’t enough to avoid getting blown away. He lands with his back against a tree, head hitting the bark hard enough to make him see spiders dancing around him.

“Son of a…” Peter mutters, seeing his vision blur and a hard sting going through his head. There are tears welling in his eyes, and he’s sure he’s bleeding in a few places.

“… _’s down, I repeat, Spidey’s down!”_

The voices are blurred in his ears and he can’t really place who is talking and who isn’t. The loud noises make it clear to him that there’s still fighting going on around him, but he’s aware that there are two people crouching over him.

“You alright, kiddo?” the familiar voice of Mr. Stark asks. It sounds clear enough that Peter doesn’t need to see to know that he’s taken of his mask. “Cap he ain’t dead, you go fight off that idiot.”

And with that, the other figure disappears again, and Peter finds himself seeing six fingers dancing in front of him.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Mr. Stark asks. Peter shakes his head and tries to stand up, only to find his shoulder hurting like hell. It almost reminds him of the time he got shot, and he wonders if something actually got through his skin.

“Whoa, calm down there, kiddo, you got some bomb-shards in your shoulder that we need to fish out, first.”

Peter sags back against the tree. His vision is once again cleared, and the first thing he sees are the deep brown eyes of Tony Stark.

Huh, those are the same eyes he looks at when he’s standing in front of the mirror. How funny that is. Hey, didn’t his mother once sleep with this guy? How freaking weird is that? But then again, the dancing spiders around Mr. Stark’s head are weird as well.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Peter suddenly shouts out while he jumps up from the sudden realization. Holy Crap, no way, no freaking way! “You’re not my dad!”

Mr. Stark’s eyes widen in surprise, and then he starts laughing, eyes crinkling at the corners. His hand goes upon the chest of his suit.

“Oh, how hard did you hit your head, kid?” Mr. Stark then stands up again, resting his hands on his hips. “We have to get you to the training center as soon as possible. See, this is what happens when you chase after danger…”

“G-Goblin,” Peter stutters out, watching how the other Avengers are busy trying to hold him back. He can’t really focus on his previous best friend flying around like that, but he’s just too fast for his hurting brain.

“The others got it, kiddo,” Mr. Stark assures him before beginning to pick him up without trying to jostle his shoulder too much. Still, Peter has to let out a grunt of pain, feeling the sting with even the smallest movements. “I’ll be quick.”

And then before Peter really knows it, he’s up in the air.

 

* * *

 

Helen Cho is quite a friendly woman, and not quite uneasy on the eyes either, if Peter would have had a thing for older women. Her long black hair is neatly tied back into a ponytail and her face looks calm while concentrated. Peter feels safe with her, which is something because otherwise he wouldn’t have let her see so much of him. Luckily, there’s something called patient confidentiality, and he’s quite sure she’s following that one thoroughly.

“I don’t think many teenagers are able to say that they’ve had bomb shards in their shoulder,” she jokes while poking the fifth shard out. There are about six more, and lucky for him she sedated him enough not to feel the pain.

“I’ve been through many things that others my age haven’t,” Peter tells her back, and Dr. Cho nods in agreement while lifting her eyebrows. Mr Stark left about fifteen minutes ago after making sure that Peter’s well taken care of, and that has given the teenager some time to think. It helps now that his head is clear, though.

So there might be a slight, small possibility that Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist superhero, could maybe be his father. Sure, okay, his mother might have slipped up with him _once_ , but that couldn’t mean that they hit the jackpot on the first try, right? Surely, there’s something else his mother used when she said that his father’s blood would not work on Peter?

“You can keep secrets, right?” he suddenly asks Helen Cho, who has by now pulled out eight shards. She looks up with raised eyebrows, and then nods quickly.

“I don’t discuss matters of my patients with others,” she confirms. Good, she might be the kind of Doctor Peter’s always needed; a superhero doctor who will not look up in surprise whenever he arrives with strange wounds. Does she have a practice somewhere in New York maybe?

“So, I kind of learned that my father is not my father, and I have a suspicion that I might know who _is_ , but I kind of need some proof for it, you understand?” he stumbles out. Dr. Cho doesn’t look up, instead removing the ninth shard.

“There are ways to test that, but I’d need DNA-samples from your supposed father to confirm it, and even that would take me days to analyze,” she explains calmly, sounding a bit amused that he would have such mundane troubles. With this, Peter proves that he’s not any different from other people.

“I could get some, but what would you need? Blood, hair? Spit?” He’s just summing things up now, calling up what he remembers from all those TV shows where DNA tests are only done in mere minutes. If only it were that easy in real life.

“Blood would be the most convenient, but I suppose hair would do as well,” Mrs. Cho explains. Of course, I would rather have your father consenting to this, as well, though I suppose you’re wanting to keep this quiet, if I’m correct?”

Peter nods, feeling quite small all of the sudden. He’s glad she can’t see his face underneath the mask, otherwise she would see the guilty expression he’s giving her.

“You know where to find me, I’m always here. You got the samples, you bring them to me, and I’ll tell you in fourteen days’ time,” she then reveals, pulling out the last shard and starting to clean the wounds before starting to stitch them up together. Peter still doesn’t feel anything of it.

“Thank you, Dr. Cho,” Peter tells her truthfully. He’s glad he has somebody who could help him out with this, because all he just needs is proof.

“This supposed father of yours; will you tell him of your Super-hero alter ego?” she asks in curiosity. Peter huffs, regretting it immediately when she slaps him lightly on the shoulder to keep him still.

“No way, he’d freak! I think he’d already freak to find out he’s got a son, let alone to have said son fighting battles every day to keep New York safe.”

Dr. Cho chuckles and finishes up her stitches, cleaning them once more before bandaging them up.

“You should think about going international. The Avengers do it all the time.” Peter snorts, shaking his head and licking his lips, forgetting that he’s still wearing his mask and instead licking the fabric.

“Heh, my Aunt would freak! She’s been trying to get me to get my grades back up at school,” Peter mumbles back. “Besides, I can barely manage to convince the Avengers to let me fight alongside them.” Then he just shakes his head. He really needs to find some people more of his age to vent to, but instead he finds himself talking to an adult woman who shouldn’t really bother listening to him.

Dr. Cho instead finishes off at last and stands up to throw away her things and clean her hands. She gives Peter one long look when he pulls the top of his suit back on and then tries to stand up. It still stings when he tries to stretch his shoulder, which means that he shouldn’t be moving it too much.

“You know, with good grades, there’s the better chance you’ll be accepted in better universities. I suppose your aunt only wants you to prepare yourself to get ready for college,” Dr. Cho says.

“Not like we have the money for it, anyway,” Peter mutters, thinking back of how his aunt and he are barely getting through with paying the bills as they are. She’s already doing extra shifts at the hospital behind his back, and he’s been trying different jobs and managed to finally find one that didn’t get him fired after the first week, even though it barely pays.

“You should apply for the Stark scholarship, then,” Dr. Cho says. She leans back against her counter and crosses her arms. “Besides, if you want to earn yourself some money, that internship at Stark’s pays off pretty well – not as much as a normal job there, would, of course.”

This is the second person now that has suggested him to go for that internship, and immediately he wonders what it would be like; he’s never been inside of Stark Industries, never had reason to. The building is not too far from Oscorp, yet Peter has avoided it like the plague whenever swinging just because of the elaborate security system.

“How do I apply?” Peter asks. Dr. Cho pushes herself off the counter and goes to walk to her desk to pick up a phone number. Then she offers it to Peter.

“Try to get an appointment with Stark’s assistant, and she’ll put you in the books. They take these scholarships very seriously. If you’re a smart lad, he’ll give you a chance.”

Peter then nods and gets ready to leave the building. He wonders if the Avengers managed to take down the Goblin. It’s probably been an hour, and if they haven’t stopped him by now, quite the damage must have been made already.

“Oh, and Spidey?” Dr. Cho suddenly says before Peter can get out. The teenager turns back around to look at her and nods to make clear that she has his attention. “You said you lived with your aunt. I know it might sound like cheating, but Mr. Stark is quick in sponsoring orphans, being one himself. I understand if you don’t want to, but you might use that to your advantage.”

So playing dirty, is what she’s suggesting. Peter just nods, wondering if he can still call himself an orphan. He has a great Aunt who’s taking care of him, and there’s the biggest possibility that the man he’s going to ask for money to could maybe possibly _be_ his father.

Right, he should get that DNA sample for her so they can do the test right away. Then, before he gets out, he turns back around again, lifting up the sleeve from his suit.

“You could take the blood for the sample right away. I’ll try to take care of the other sample right after that.”

Dr. Cho nods, cleaning her hands once more and taking out the stuff she needs to collect blood. Peter hasn’t had his blood checked ever since he became Spider-Man, afraid of what people may find when they take a closer look at it.

“Would you be alright with me examining the blood? I’m just kind of interested in the origins of your powers,” Dr. Cho asks, the question not really unexpected. But Peter trusts her, knowing that she will not use it to do anything wrong with it. If the Avengers rely on her, why can’t he, right? Especially if he plans to join them one day.

Taking the sample is a quick process, and before Peter knows it he’s already walking into the hallway. He hasn’t had a tour of the building yet, and he figures it’s only normal for him to get lost, but there’s just too much pride in him to go back and ask for the way.

Besides, if he wants Tony Stark’s DNA-sample, he might as well start looking right here, right?

So, trying not to look too suspicious about it, Peter starts looking behind every door. There isn’t really anybody inside any of the rooms, which make it conveniently easy for him to weasel out of every bedroom he passes.

Of course, that works only until he’s about to open a door and finds it opening before he can even touch it, only to reveal a young brown-haired woman with big brown eyes and a worried expression.

Shit, he hadn’t thought about Scarlet Witch being here. He’s heard about her, though never met her in person. Still, from what he knows of her, she can read minds, meaning that she probably already knows why exactly he’s sneaking around like this.

“Hey, eh, Mrs. Maximoff!” Peter says while scratching the back of his head. There’s a chuckle escaping from his throat, and if she could see his face, she’s see a whole lot of red. Err, not that she doesn’t already do, that is. “I thought you’d be with the others fighting the Goblin?”

“I am not yet allowed to go on missions,” the girl says with a sudden frown on her face. The Sokovian accent is thick on her tongue, but she managed to get through her words easy enough. “I would ask why you aren’t there as well, but we both know the answer to that now, do we?”

“Heh,” Peter chuckles out in embarrassment. “So is this a thing you do? You constantly read minds of everybody who walks around this building?”

Oh, good, try to lighten the mood, great idea, Parker. You’ll surely anger her right there.

But she doesn’t seem angry, instead smirking a little bit. Oh, no, this is it; the part where she’s going to show him his greatest fear, traumatizing him for life with images that he’ll never want to see ever in his life.

Or images that he never wants to see again.

“I have stopped reading your mind once I knew you weren’t a common thief or assassin,” Wanda says fondly. Then her fingers go on his face, slowly touching the fabric of his mask. The touch is gentle, but Peter still wonders what this is all about. “Though I know why you’re here, and I’m willing to help.”

“Wait, what?” Peter asks out loud. Wanda pulls him inside her room then, closing the door behind them and pressing him against the wall with her hand on his mouth. She’s signing for him to keep quiet as sudden footsteps come up from behind the door. Huh, so she knew somebody was coming?

After the footsteps have disappeared, she pulls away from him again and goes to pick some things up from her bed. When he looks closer, he understands that it’s a key card.

“Couldn’t you just, I don’t know, use your telekinetic powers for opening doors?” Peter asks when they get out of the room again. Wanda shakes her head and takes his hand to make him follow her. Though Peter can’t place one hallway from the others, Wanda does seem to know where she wants to go, and as it turns out that’s exactly where Peter just came from. They pass Dr. Cho’s office again, and follow the end of the hallway until they get to an obviously locked door.

“These locks are sensitive to anything unnatural, so if I would try to forcibly open it, Mr. Stark would be immediately warned for it, and I promised Captain Rogers that I would not use my powers for those kinds of things,” Wanda explained. With that she lifts up the card again where Peter can clearly read her name. “Outside of training, they expect me to behave like a normal human would, just in case I would ever come to lose these powers and not become completely dependable of them.”

That kind of makes sense, though Peter would hate it if they’d do that to him. Maybe he should better hold off with officially joining them?

When Wanda passes the key, there’s a confirming beep and then the lock is opened. She gets inside so quickly that Peter lets out a breath of surprise when he’s tugged along, apparently still holding her hand.

“Dr. Cho has a few blood-samples of every Avengers right here, just in case she would ever be needing it,” Wanda explains as they pass by a few refrigerators with little tubes. Not all of them are filled with blood, but probably plasma as well. Peter’s also sure he saw a few tubes with antidotes for things. He takes his time as he passes them by, honestly a bit impressed at how big her stash is. Hopefully the other Avengers are aware of this?

Once he passes Wanda’s tubes of blood, he stops for a moment, taking a long look at the young girl that is suddenly helping him. He doesn’t know why she’s doing it, but somehow she seems to find his reasons enough to do this.

“How much do you know? About me?” Peter asks then, eyes suddenly glistening over wat looks like a blue liquid. He wonders what that is for, but figures that it has something to do with her mind-controlling abilities since none of the others have it.

“I know who you are, and I know that you suspect Stark’s your father,” she explains. When she’s looking at what Peter’s staring at, her face falls a little bit. Still, she doesn’t say anything, instead handing him a vial of blood. Mr. Stark’s details are still on it with a sticker, so Peter pulls that off to keep it hidden from Dr. Cho. She doesn’t need to know that the man who’s funding her is the father of Spider-Man.

“Why would you help me, Wanda?” Peter then asks. Wanda lifts up the corners of her lips for just a moment before starting to walk away again.

“We’ve both lost so many people in life. If somebody could help me find a long lost family member, I’d want them to help me, too,” she says. After opening the door, Peter follows her out. In front of Dr. Cho’s office they stop, and Peter frowns as he looks down. Won’t it be too suspicious if he’d come back that quickly? Surely, there’s no way she’d know the blood sample is from here, but still, he’s barely been gone for half an hour, and they’re far enough away from the city to know that Peter couldn’t have swung his way there and back in that small amount of time. That, and there are no freaking buildings nearby to swing from.

Ah, what the heck, he just wants the proof. With a small nod, he thanks Wanda. The girl just smiles at him, leans forward to press a small kiss on his cheek – on the mask, of course – and then she’s off again. Internally, Peter swears that if she would ever need help, he’d be there to give it to her.

Dr. Cho had been surprised, indeed, but she accepted the sample without any question and with the promise that she’ll have answers in fourteen days. They agree on him returning here when the day comes, and then he’s off, finally getting out of the building.

But, right… there are no buildings to swing from and he’s in the middle of fucking nowhere.

“Great,” Peter mutters, already starting on his way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to add that surely it won't be as easy as I've described to get some blood samples, but for the sake of the story let's just imagine that it is ;-)  
> Also, I'm aware that Mary Parker wasn't a scientist. We're heavily playing with some facts here to get a story together, so not everything is like the original story! :)
> 
> The story takes place after Ultron and Ant-Man, but before Dr. Strange or Civil War. Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are already runing around somewhere there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't keep my own word, and I've come to an agreement with myself. Updates will be bi-weekly instead of once a week. Posting days will be on Monday's and Thursday's!  
> And seeing as it's Thursday right now, here's the third chapter! 
> 
> Here comes the first official appearance of our original character, Yaël. She's a character created for the story we were originally writing. But as we were writing, inspiration came for a tie-in story about Peter. The two stories will be connected, but you don't particularly have to read one to understand the other (would be difficult, since we're still busy with writing the other story and it hasn't been posted anywhere yet).  
> (So far, the series is going to contain 3 stories; Peter's story, Yaël & Loki's story, and Natasha's story, though the last one will be a short one)  
> Enjoy!

The days go on like any others; at school he’s mostly just doodling in his notes instead of paying attention, every day of the week Peter still finds himself working the evening shifts at the pizzeria (with on Friday once again having the creepy guy stalking him), on Saturday he finds himself stuck with ironing the laundry and cooking dinner as Aunt May is lying sick in bed. Sunday he’s going out of his way to capture more shots from the heroes to sell at the Daily Bugle, and in the end all he gets is more shouting from Mr. Jameson. Still, after more than a year of working with him, Peter has gotten used to it.

That guy will never be his biggest fan, and that’s okay by him.

New York is strangely quiet this Sunday evening. Peter doesn’t know where he’s walking to, really, until he finds himself right in front of the entrance to Stark Industries. Seeing as it’s a Sunday, there aren’t many people walking in and out of the building. Still, Peter finds himself evading a few hurried workers who can’t seem to get home fast enough.

A sigh escapes from his lips, and he finds himself wondering if he should get inside or not. There’s no specific reason for him to be there, but he can’t help but feel curious at what’s inside. Maybe he should go asking for that internship, but he’s not sure if they’d even accept him if he’s not a student.

He almost falls onto his face when somebody bumps in on him on his back. In surprise, he turns around and finds a whole lot of red hair being swooshed in the air by the wind that has been blowing all day. She looks hurried, especially so when she starts making frustrated noises as her books all fall down on the ground.

“Oh, crap!” she calls out in annoyance. Peter frowns, kneels down and helps her pick it all up.

“Are you okay?” he asks. The dark-skinned girl looks up at him and frowns, though Peter can still see she appears nervous despite her attempt to look annoyed.

“Yeah, or at least I was, until you suddenly came to stand in front of me! If I’m late, it’s your fault,” she mutters. Peter’s mouth falls open, and he tries to answer but can’t manage to get anything passed his lips. He wouldn’t know what to say anyway. He comes to stand up instead once all the books are from the ground, and then ends up staring right into the dark greenish-brown eyes of the girl.

“Wish me luck, shorty!” she then calls out with a wink. Before Peter can even say something in return, she’s already gone into the building, on her way to have a talk with his possible father. Man, that’s all kinds of weird.

Deciding there’s nothing else much he can do, Peter moves forward at last. The moment he gets through those gigantic door, he immediately feels a difference in temperature; where it has been hot and humid outside, now it’s fresh and ventilated enough that Peter feels like he can finally breathe again.

The inside is also completely different from what he’d expected. He remembers Oscorp had been open and full of stairs with a receptionist on his right the moment he got in. Here, it looks more like a hotel lobby than an actual business.

The receptionists are right in the middle of the room, and on the sides there are waiting-stools for the people who made appointments. There’s one big staircase that leads to the first floor, and there are about six elevators that go up. Peter wonders if all of them go to the Penthouse on the top.

He can see the redheaded girl sitting on one of the blue stools. She’s putting her tangled red curls into a messy bun, and her sneaker-covered feet are making tapping noises on the ground – probably nerves. Peter wonders if he should go talk to her, but then decides not to. He doesn’t even know that girl; why should he? Besides, she’s a bit rude.

“Can I help you, sir?” a friendly voice asks back at the lobby. Peter looks up and sees a young man smiling up at him from where he’s seated. He had one of those earbuds in his ears to call with, and the computer he’s using seems to be the latest of Stark’s design. The guy always seems up to date when it comes to his business.

“Eh, I was wondering if Mr. Stark was around?” Peter asks, figuring he might as well _look_ like he’s here for a reason other than to stare around in awe.

“I’m sorry, but he’s fully booked for today. Do you have an appointment?” the man asks. The smile only falters a little, as if the guy actually feels sorry for him. Peter only shakes his head and looks to the side. A woman in a black dress and blonde hair is talking to the redheaded girl, and then both get to the elevator. Despite her mean attitude, Peter wishes her well.

“Eh, sorry, no. I knew it was a long-shot, but I figured I could at least try,” Peter says then. He puts his hands in his pockets and then looks down to the ground where he can see himself twitching on his feet.

“That’s true,” the man says. Then he starts looking for things on the computer, the keyboard not making any sounds at all. Peter leans forward a little bit and sees that the keyboard itself is holographic. Damn, that Stark never ceases to amaze him. “Well, if you want, he has a free slot on next Sunday about four. What exactly is the appointment for?”

“Eh, for the, eh, scholarship,” he gets out before he can really think of it. He moves his hands from his front pockets to his back pockets, and there he stumbles upon a piece of paper. When he picks it out, he sees that it’s Mrs. Potts number; the one Dr. Cho has given him. The receptionist sees it, and lifts one eyebrow, though. “But I’ve already received this number a while ago, I could maybe make an appointment through Mrs. Potts, instead?”

“No that’s okay, Mrs. Potts doesn’t make appointments for Mr. Stark anymore since she became C.E.O. of Stark Industries. I’ll just schedule in your appointment and all will be done,” the man says. Peter figures he should be looking for a name at least, so he starts looking at the man’s clothes, only to find that there’s no name-tag or anything.

But then his eyes fall onto a security-badge lying next to his pencils. There he can read the name ‘Lincoln Jones’ on it. The guy doesn’t notice it, though, eyes instead focused on the screen.

“What name can I put on the appointment?” Lincoln asks.

“Eh, Peter Parker,” Peter answers without really paying attention. Then the printer behind the guy comes to life, and a piece of paper comes out of it. Lincoln fishes it out, writes something on the top of the paper, and then hands it to the teenager in front of him.

“If there are any troubles, you can just call the number on top of the page and I’ll see if I can help,” he says. Peter only nods, not really thinking much of it but instead going back out of the building as fast as he can.

He wonders why exactly he made that appointment; is it because he just wants to talk to Stark? Or has he unconsciously decided that he _is_ going to college after he graduates?

If so, he should really start looking up schools, no? Besides, what should he even study? It’s not like photography interests him enough for him to pursuit a career in it. And okay, yes, he’s kind of good in building things, but no way will he ever get close to Stark’s level, right?

Peter just shakes his head, wondering if he should just get back inside to cancel the appointment, and then he sees the number on the paper. It’s from that Lincoln-guy, and Peter hadn’t really payed much attention to it, but now that he actually sees it… How has he not noticed the receptionist has been flirting with him? Does it really take a phone number on a paper with a wink added to it for Peter to really realize it? No wonder he’ll end up alone!

Maybe he should just go home. Next week he’ll learn the results from Dr. Cho, and then he’ll know. He can still just bail if he doesn’t like the result.

But the problem is… he doesn’t really know what result he’s looking forward to mostly.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony stark knows he shouldn’t be hiding away back at the compound, but still he finds himself right there, doing nothing other than staring right outside and watching the trees shake from the sudden wind that came up about an hour ago.

Oh, he’s playing with fire already by staying away for this long, but the idea of getting back to Stark Tower and hear the words he’s so afraid to hear… nothing that he’ll do will make the burn less, so he might as well just postpone it for a few more hours.

Maybe he should get home so late that she’s already sleeping, and then he should probably get up before her… but that’s impossible; Pepper is an early riser; maybe he should sleep in, instead? That will give him, what? A few more hours when she’s at work?

But what good will that eventually do? To postpone it does not equal to avoid it. He can’t help but sigh, eyes closing when the first drop of rain lands against the window he’s staring through. His eyes go down for a second, landing on the burn-mark the Bifröst left when Thor decided to go home a while ago. He wonders how the guy is doing at the moment, but he’s probably better than Tony…

“There are surprisingly few words coming out of your mouth right now,” the familiar voice of Natasha Romanoff says from behind him. “I’m kind of impressed, really.”

Tony turns around to see the redheaded assassin walk up to him with a slight smirk on her face, and Tony can’t help but let out a sigh. If only he could joke along with her.

“I’m postponing being single again,” Tony answers sadly. His head goes down, chin resting against his chest and eyes closed. His hands are stuck in his pocket; his cellphone is turned off, and only an Avenger-emergency could turn it back on again.

“You two had a fight?” Natasha asks. She comes to stand next to him and looks outside as well. By now, the whole window is filled with raindrops. Tony finds it calming himself, though the ache in his chest is not one that just goes away. The pain is also so completely different from the one he felt right after having the Arc Reactor placed; that one was constant, it hurts even to this day even now it’s gone.

“I destroyed all of my suits,” Tony explains, recalling the events of Christmas back in 2012. He hadn’t really been himself all that time, and he’d actually thought things would get better without the suits. Still, he was wrong.  “I promised her I was done, but then the scepter came, and then Ultron, and then, and then, and I just kept going.”

Natasha remains quiet next to him. He’s thankful for that.

“I don’t blame her, thought,” Tony adds. “I’m quite unpleasant to live with.”

Natasha then lets out a soft laugh, and she gently puts a hand on his shoulder in comfort. She squeezes him with all the tenderness he never really saw in her, and suddenly understands why Cap calls her a good friend.

“Looks like we’re both hopeless when it comes to the matters of the heart,” Natasha answers. Tony wonders what she means with that, but he already knows that asking will earn him nothing but silence and more questions, still. She’s probably talking about a time before they met her.

That, or his speculation of her secret crush on Barton is true?

“Should I leave you two alone or…?” the righteous voice of Captain America suddenly says from behind them. Both Tony and Natasha turn around to find the soldier standing there with his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised. He’s smirking though, so at least he’s not annoyed.

“No I was just leaving,” Natasha says gently. She squeezes Tony’s shoulder once more before moving out of the hallway, leaving Tony with Cap. The two men just remain quiet when she’s gone, Tony instead looking back out of the window and letting out a sigh.

“Never get in a relationship, Rogers,” Tony then says in an attempt to be funny. “It’s only doomed to end eventually.”

Steve is quiet when he steps forward. His arms are resting behind his back, and now he, too, is looking at the rain falling down on the landscape in front of them. There are a few people outside trying to run back in with their jackets high over their head. Tony wonders if he could excuse himself from going home with this weather, but Pepper wouldn’t buy that.

“It’s that time, then?” Steve asks. Tony just nods, glad that he’s not beating around the bush. He’s told Cap multiple times about his fear of Pepper leaving him, though it had mostly been jokingly. Still, Steve knows when Tony’s being serious and when not; they’ve spent enough time together right now to understand each other on that matter.

“I don’t really want to go home,” Tony answers in return. He can feel Steve suddenly looking at him, and wonders why he’s so quiet all of the sudden. But then, the bump against his shoulder surprises him.

“Come on, I could use a sparring-partner right now, and it seems like you’re not busy.”

And so the two of them went back to the gym, and they sparred for almost two hours. After that, Tony returned home, ready to face it after a long conversation with the Captain about taking responsibility for his actions.

And after Pepper broke his heart like he suspected, and then took the first plane back to Malibu (because she’d already packed her things while he was gone), Tony just sat there, thinking back of the way she kissed his forehead before she left; a clear sign that she still loves him as much as he loves her, but that the love is just not strong enough.

Her last words ring through his head, again and again. But he can’t think too much about it. And then he cries, for the first time in years.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter hates being the delivery-boy.

It doesn’t happen often that one of the assigned deliverers fall sick, and they often have replacement for it, but when two of them fall sick at the same time, it looks like the boss has to compromise a bit and send out one of the waiters instead.

And that’s how Peter finds himself being the deliverer of two pizza’s to a house that left the specific instruction that he might be away for long. Of course, his boss didn’t take it seriously, at all, instead sending him on his way and not paying much more attention to him after that. What Peter finds odd is that the person on the phone apparently _specifically_ asked for him, which can only mean one thing.

It’s the annoying stalking guy.

There’s no other explanation! The dude wasn’t there when Peter came in from work, and the girl that actually had to take the man’s order passed along to Peter that the dude’s crazy. Still, Peter’s hungry, and he figures that he might as well just bring a pizza along to eat after this delivery. His shift has almost ended anyway, and he can just park the damn Vespa when he returns home, because it’s about time that he learns what this guy’s deal with him really is so it’s possible that it’s indeed going to take a while..

Peter frowns a little bit at the apartment he finds himself at. The wallpaper of the hallway is faded and shredded in so many places that there’s in fact more bare stone on the wall instead of the actual pattern. He wonders if the door would fall out if he would knock on it, but then decides that he doesn’t really care; if it’s stalker-guy’s apartment, he would gladly see it fall down on the ground.

He’s not all that surprised when he sees the man opening up the door with the biggest but ugliest smile ever. “Parker and pizza, best combination ever!” the guy almost sings, practically dragging Peter inside. Peter tries not to look too panicked, instead standing his ground and taking a deep breath to remain calm. After spotting a small table to his right, Peter walks up to there to drop the boxes, then turning back around towards Creepy Stalker Guy.

“Yeah, okay, heard you were going to kidnap me so I brought along extra pizza. That way I’ll have something to eat while a complete stranger starts to probe me,” Peter calls out, praising his own sarcasm once again. Creepy Stalking Guy puts a hand on his face and makes a fake expression that should come over as insulted, but Peter doesn’t buy it, instead turning around to take a look at the apartment.

And there he spots the same girl the guy has been with, with only one difference; her hair. Somehow, it looks like somebody has just tossed over some paint over it and forgot a few of the blue spots, but he has to admit that it doesn’t look quite bad. He himself doesn’t really have a thing for brightly colored hair, though.

“You like it?” the girl says, and it’s the first thing Peter’s ever heard her saying. Now he doesn’t know what he expected her voice to be like; serene and soft, strong and loud… In any way, it’s everything except for this hoarse voice that sounds like a teenager that just came back from a rock-concert where she sung her lungs out. Maybe she’s a smoker?

“It’s artsy,” Peter explains, not finding the right word for it. The girl – Damn Peter might as well start learning their names, right? – just grins and takes out her pizza box. The way she sets herself down in the couch makes it clear that this is her own house, so Creepy Stalker Guy is probably the guest nobody ever invites but keeps on coming anyway.

“Hey Petey, think fast!” suddenly comes from behind him, and Peter feels a shudder going through him. The Spider-sense, warning him for upcoming danger. Crap!

When he turns around he already finds about two plates flying up his way.

“What the-!” Peter calls out, but then a burst of wind blows in his face, and the plates fly past above him and smash against the wall. Peter still jumps back, hands at the ready for if he needs to defend himself. He hears something cracking a bit further away, but he doesn’t pay attention, instead listening to his spider-sense and knowing that he needs to jump before the first gunshot is made. He sees the bullet come down on the ground, but he himself is no longer standing on the floor. It’s more out of reflex than anything else, and he knows he should get down immediately, but still he’s sticking onto the wall. From here he can see that the girl is doing what seems like telekinetic to lift up the tiles of the floor and using them as shield. So, she’s one of them, then. Great to know.

“Hey!” the guy calls out when the girl lifts up another arm and ice suddenly appears all around him. So, what, ice powers as well? Who is this girl, even? Well, whatever the girl is doing, it seems to be draining every bit of energy from her. After making sure that the guy is stuck, she lowers her arms, drops the tiles, and sits down on her bed with a long and exhausted sigh. Peter pushes himself from the wall now that the danger is gone, but the girl has already seen him hanging there.

He wonders if he should call the police?

“What the _hell_ is going on?!” the girl shouts in anger.

“Well, he’s Spider-Man, of course!” Creepy Stalking Guy says, and then the alarms start ringing inside of Peter’s head. How does this guy even _know_ that? Peter feels as if he should start denying it, make up excuses as to why exactly it _looked_ like he was hanging from the wall, but nothing escapes his mouth. His whole body is frozen.

This isn’t supposed to happen; Harry knows, Wanda knows, and if these two people now know as well, he’s truly the worst at keeping secrets, which is weird since it’s been working for years already. Why now, all of the sudden, does everybody find out?

“So, what? You just decide to throw my plates and start shooting at my floor to prove that this guy can swing from one building to another? There are other ways to do that, Wade!” the girl shouts back. And with that, Peter knows Creepy Stalking Guy’s name, at last.

“I just want to know how you figured it out?” Peter asks in confusion one he found his voice again. This had not been his plan at all; he should have just delivered the pizza and get out of there. It’s already past ten and he wants nothing more than to get back home and go to sleep. It’s already going to be a difficult weekend for him; he’s not sure if he can really handle this, too.

“I just know things; how’s MJ, by the way?” Wade asks, looking as if he’s not freezing to death in that ice-trap the girl made for him. Peter frowns upon hearing that new name. When he looks at the girl to ask if that’s her name, she just shakes her head in denial.

“Who’s MJ?” Peter asks.

“Oh, you haven’t met her yet?” Wade asks. Then he’s finally trying to move from his ice cold prison, but obviously isn’t able to move. “Come on, I want pizza. Yaël, get me out of here!”

But the girl – Yaël – just ignores him, instead getting up to get her own box. When she sits down on the couch, she gestures for Peter to follow her, which he does with his own dinner with him.

“Ah come on! I’m hungry!” Wade whines. They both just ignore him, instead eating in silence (as much as that’s possible), and only letting him out once they’ve finished.

Peter wonders why he isn’t just going home. He doesn’t know those people, and even finds himself disliking this Wade-person that has been stalking him at work for months before now. Sure, Yaël seems friendly enough, and Peter’s sure that she might one day be a great hero, but it takes only a short conversation with her to know that she’s a bit gloomy.

There’s a sadness in her eyes that Peter can’t place, and for a moment, he wonders if he should just ask her about it, but instead remaining quiet. He leans back on the couch then, in his mind already making up that he’s going home when the clock get to eleven, which is only about fifteen minutes more.

“There’s something on your mind,” Yaël asks after a little while of Wade rambling on. Peter hadn’t been listening, but mostly just feels their eyes on him. Peter twitches a bit in his seat, hating the attention. He’s never had so many people listening to him at the exact same time, which is actually kind of pathetic since there are only two of them right here – and one of them is a nutjob.

“I-I just don’t know you guys. Nobody’s even supposed to know, but yet here we are, Wanda knows, you know. I wonder who else does?” Peter explains.

“There’s that old guy in the restaurant, with his moustache!” Wade says pointlessly. Peter doesn’t bother to explain that he didn’t need an answer to that question.

“You know, they sent this idiot to me because they figured I need friends?” Yaël says. Peter looks up again and sees her pointing at Wade with her thumb. The guy pretends to be offended, but nobody listens to him.

“Who are ‘they’?” Peter asks in wonder.

“Two men, they introduced themselves as Professor X and Nick Fury,” Yaël explains, as if that’s the most boring thing in the world. Instead, Peter’s mouth falls open in surprise upon hearing those names.

“No way! You know Nick Fury and Professor X?” Peter asks, unable to keep his voice down. “Everybody’s heard of them, Nick Fury is like the most secretive guy in the world – we even thought him dead for long until he showed himself again during that Ultron-disaster! But Professor X! Man, what’s it like, having him in your head?”

His mouth can’t stop talking, and he wishes somebody would just stop his words. Yaël looks a bit overwhelmed with that. Still, she just shrugs after it, obviously not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

“He stays out of my head. Claims that I should figure everything out on my own,” she explains. Peter lifts up an eyebrow. Wade clarifies.

“Her brain’s scrambled and she don’t remember a thing,” he explains. Peter then nods in understanding. Sadly, that is one problem he can’t really help with. Then he decides to just… show her that he’s got issues, too, to show her that she’s not alone.

“I just figured out my dad wasn’t really my dad, and there’s a slight possibility that my real dad is still alive, and now I’m waiting for the DNA results,” Peter finds himself saying before he can really think of it.

“Wow, but if he’s your dad, that’s kind of great, right?” Yaël asks, but Peter finds himself shrugging. Sure, it could be nice, but still, there’s something biting inside of him about it.

“I’m not sure I want to know the answer to it,” Peter then answers to that. He then finally stands up, getting ready to leave.

“Well, if you want a daddy so badly, you can call me ‘dad’. Daddy Deadpool, wouldn’t that be great?” Peter can see Yaël slap her hand on her forehead, and Peter just frowns at him, wondering what kind of sick bastard this guy actually is. But then, something else he said come to mind.

“Deadpool?!” Peter finds himself shouting. A loud moan escapes his mouth and he throws his head back, taking a few steps to the other side. “Out of all the people that have to stalk me, it has to be the one who would be able to send me to an early grave.”

“Hey! I take that as an insult!” Wade shouts back. Peter just ignores him, figuring it’s time for him to go. He’s sure he’ll see these people again, though he’d rather not have another conversation with freaking Deadpool for crying out loud. He’s heard from the other Avengers that they’ve often come close to shooting him down on the spot, and he can understand why, too.

It takes five more minutes of talking about superhero-names before Peter finally takes his leave, and after that he takes the little Vespa to return back to the pizzeria. The place is already closed, but he knows where to park the thing so it’s not that much of an issue. Though, he’s sure Aunt May wouldn’t like the fact that he hadn’t told her where he’d been.

Once he gets to bed, he bitterly finds out that Wade figured out his number, and deletes his messages that contain nothing more than little heart-emoji’s.

 

* * *

 

Peter feels sick once Sunday arrives. It’s almost like he’s ready to just throw up on the spot, and nothing really gets done. Aunt May even comes up to his room to take his temperature, but finds that nothing’s really wrong with him. It’s all just in his head because today is _the_ freaking day.

Dr. Cho is probably waiting for him; it’s already noon and Peter is still lying in bed with his covers thrown closely to him. He’d rather just stay in bed right now, but there’s no point in postponing it, right? The answer will stay the same, whether he’ll figure them out today or next week.

Eventually he stands up, pulling out random clothes from his closet that probably don’t even fit, and then replacing his jacket with his favorite hoodie instead. The thing is close to falling apart, of course, with more holes than anything else, but it’s always been something he wore whenever he felt particularly bad. Today is one of those days, obviously.

He wonders how he’s going to get there, though. He can’t just walk in there as Peter Parker, now, can he? But going in as Spider-Man would mean that he’d have to walk through the forest after the buildings stop. Maybe he can just get dressed on his way after he gets out of the taxi?

No, surely there’s a lot of security around there; they’d catch him on the act, and his secret will be once again blown.

So he decides to put on his suit, and swings all the way to the end of the city. From there on, it’s by foot. It would have been his luck if Iron Man would have been flying by, but sadly, the guy hasn’t really been seen for the past week. The very few times the Avengers were called together, Iron Man hadn’t been with them.

By the time he gets there, he’s welcomed by Wanda and Vision, the former smiling at him. He’s never really seen Vision smile, though, and wonders if he’s even able to.

“Welcome back, Spider-Man,” Wanda greets him with a small kiss on his cheek. He notices how Vision stares at the act in confusion.

“How did you know I was here?” Peter asks. It’s Vision who answers, though.

“We saw you approach because of the cameras in the trees. Wanda wanted to greet you personally when you arrived,” the… robot (?) says. Wanda only smiles a little bit, and then pulls on his arm to cross hers with his, doing the same thing with Vision.

“I know how you got lost last time, so I figured I could just bring you there, instead,” she says, but the look in her eyes make clear that she means a bit more with that. She’s here to offer him support, he figures. She knows he’s having a hard time – probably because she read his mind before knowing it was him – and figured it out.

In silence they walk through the hallways, though Vision leaves them halfway with the message that he has an appointment with the Captain. Still, after his departure Wanda doesn’t speak. When they get in the hallway with the bedrooms, Peter actually makes a sound; a surprised gasp.

“Mr. Stark’s here?” Peter asks a little louder than he’d expected. His eyes are resting on the familiar figure standing in the hallway and currently talking to Cap. He’s a bit too far away to see it clearly, but he looks extremely tired. His hair’s messy, and the clothes he’s wearing look like he’s been sleeping in them.

“He’s been living here all week,” Wanda explains, but obviously leaving out a few details. She probably figures it’s not her place to talk about this. Instead, she pulls him along the moment Cap starts to walk away, probably on his way to meet Vision. Peter’s eyes still make brief contact with Mr. Stark’s when the man looks up, and a strange feeling passes through him after that.

What if that guy is actually his father?

The way to Dr. Cho’s office seems shorter this time. In just a matter of seconds – or at least that’s what it feels like to him – he’s standing outside her door. Wanda lets go of his arm, squeezes his shoulder shortly, and then takes a step back while nodding towards the office.

“Don’t hesitate, just face it,” she tells him. At least it’s better advice than ‘It’ll be alright, things will be fine blablabla’. Peter nods at her thankfully while knocking on the door. After a short moment of silence, he hears her voice inviting him in. Peter takes a deep breath, and then silently counts to ten to calm his own nerves. After that, he gets inside.

“Ah, I was waiting for you!” Dr. Cho says the moment he gets in. He can barely close the door behind him before she’s already on her feet and walking towards the counter, where a big envelope is lying ready for him. There’s no name written on it – unsurprisingly. “I only got the results in this morning, these tests are always tricky, but with the latest Stark-tech at least it doesn’t take a whole month.”

She doesn’t really look at him as she takes out a few papers from the envelope. Peter wonders why she’s stalling this; wouldn’t she know the answers right now? Does she really need to go through these with him?

She seems to catch his nerves somehow, because her eyes rest on him for one short moment and then she drops the papers away and gives him a long apologizing look.

“I’m sorry, I got carried away. You probably don’t want me to go over all of this, do you?” she asks. Peter takes another breath and then shakes his head.

“I don’t think I would really remember anything other than ‘yes, he’s your father’, or ‘No, he’s not your father’,” Peter tries to joke. Dr. Cho does offer him a smile after that, and she sits down, motioning for Peter to do the same.

“Are you sure you want to know the answer to this?” she then asks, suddenly completely serious. Peter just shrugs, realizing that she’s giving him the option to escape the answer. But even though he’s sure he doesn’t _want_ to know, he knows he _needs_ to know, just so he can settle his heart a little bit.

If he has a parent that’s still alive, he has to know about it.

“Yes, I do,” Peter then says in confirmation. Dr. Cho then nods and leans back in her seat.

“The test came positive, he _is_ your father,” she says, not beating around the bush for it. Peter feels the air escaping from his lungs.

So it’s true…

He is Tony Stark’s son.

Holy crap.

“Spidey, breathe, or else I’ll have to take that mask off,” Dr. Cho says all of the sudden, and Peter realizes his mind has drifted away. His chest is hurting, and that’s when he finds out that he’s actually stopped breathing. That’s probably why Dr. Cho is suddenly giving him instructions, right?

“I- I’m okay,” Peter tells her, finally taking a few more breaths, but feeling as if there’s barely any air getting through. Maybe he _should_ take the mask off? He designed it to make it easily breathable, but right now he feels like it’s choking him on the spot.

Dr. Cho doesn’t say anything else, instead just patting his back a little bit while he tries to control his breath. It takes about a minute before he’s back to normal, but even then he still feels like his head is spinning.

“Listen, it’s normal that you feel panic right now,” Dr. Cho says after a long moment of silence. Peter finally looks back up at her, and only then feels that there are tears in his eyes. Tears of sadness or of joy, he doesn’t know, really. “You found out you have a living parent after thinking probably for years that they both are dead? That can only lead to a bit of shock.”

Peter nods in agreement, finding that ‘a bit of shock’ doesn’t really seem to cut it here. Right now, he just wants to go home, and to mentally prepare himself for his interview with Mr. Stark later. His dad… interview with his dad.

Holy shit how is this life?

Maybe he should just bail today, right? Stark didn’t look all that well today, either? Maybe they’re both just not… ready for it. Maybe they won’t ever be ready for it? Maybe it’s better if Peter just keeps this to himself, right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Panic Attacks

Tony left the compound about an hour ago after Cap practically threw him out. He can understand that, though, since he’s been there all week except for when he’s needed for important meetings. Somehow, his new assistant has found a loophole through Steve to actually make him _show up_. Maybe Tony should just look for a new assistant, right? Would that make him an asshole?

He’s felt close to cancel all meetings so far, but he would feel like that would be unfair to the students; there are about three of them that come for an internship at the logistics division, two for the engineering program, and then there’s one more interview for the scholarship itself, which is actually the second one that comes to ask for it one year in advance.

Of course, there’s always a thorough background check for every kid that has come in there so far, and of all the twenty that have asked for a scholarship, he’s only had to refuse three of them who quite obviously came from wealthy enough descend to pay for the education themselves. Tony’s not an idiot, and he’s aware that most parents just tell their kids to try it, but there are certain rules to it that even he has to follow, no matter how much he might like said kid’s attitude.

His last appointment is around five, which means that he can return home after that one; which actually means he’ll go back to the compound instead, having avoided his penthouse up until then. He’d rather waste his time with Sam Wilson’s dumb jokes than having to spend another lonely night up there.

“Mr. Stark, I’ve brought you a coffee,” his assistant suddenly says. Stark turns around in surprise, and sees that the woman indeed is holding a cup for him. Still, though, her charming smile and glowing golden hair doesn’t compare to the beauty of Pepper, and for a moment, Tony just wishes she were still his assistant. Then at least she’d have to still be around him. Being the CEO of Stark Industries is a job she can easily do on her own; it’s not like he’s been much help to her about that, anyway.

“Thank you, Katie. You can just put it on my desk,” Tony says, seeing her walk to the middle of the room and drop it where he’s told her. Then he watches her go, and his eyes go back to the clock above the door. About ten more minutes before the last kid comes in. Maybe he should just start his research about him? Most kids don’t like it when he looks them up with them around, but on the other hand it feels weird to listen to the kid when he already knows everything about him.

Instead, he remains standing in front of the window for a little moment. His coffee stays on the desk, probably already getting cold, but Tony figures that coffee won’t help him. He knows what will, and that’s mostly the reason why he’s not spending more time at the penthouse. At least at the compound he’s not alone, and there are people there to keep an eye on him and keep him under control. He doesn’t need more public disgraces from being drunk again.

Somehow, talking with Rhodey, Natasha and Cap helps quite a lot. They manage to distract him with sparring sessions and self-defense lessons. He’s not as strong as Cap, and surely not as agile as Nat, but just the basic moves are enough to make him forget about Pepper for a little longer. Yet, not completely, and every night in bed he stays awake instead of falling asleep. Some nights he just wanders around the compound and finds himself looking at the starry night, but other nights he hides himself in the lab, where he starts working on some new modifications for his teammate’s uniforms.

“Sir, your five- ‘o-clock interview is here,” his assistant suddenly says, and Tony wonders how he did not hear her knock. When he turns around, he finds Katie standing there with a small and slender boy next to her. He looks a bit pale, kind of… nervous, maybe? It’s nothing he’s never seen before; most of them are kind of scared of him, but he’ll quickly find out that he’s got nothing to worry about. Of course, unless he’s one of those rich kids that don’t think they’re rich enough already.

“Sure, yes, thank you Katie,” Tony says, and only then does he move away from the window, pointing towards the chair in front of his desk right before sitting down himself. “Please sit, Mr. …” Tony can almost curse. He doesn’t even know the kid’s name yet.

“Parker, sir,” the kid answers then, not seeming offended at all. “Peter Parker.”

Parker… now that’s a name he hasn’t heard in a long time. One would think that with such a big company, at least one of his workers would have that surname. Still, the only Parker he can think of is… what was his name again?

“Your name sounds familiar, are you family of anybody I know?” Tony asks, wondering why the name is bringing up something in him, and cursing because he can’t place it at all. What’s wrong with his super-brain lately?

“My parents worked at Oscorp,” the boy – Peter – reveals. “Though my mother used to work for you for a while before that.”

“Are you Mary’s son?” The words escape from Tony’s mouth before he can think of it. The only person he knows of that has left his company to work for Oscorp is Mary, and that’s one person that he hasn’t heard of in a while. Probably because she completely shut herself off from his life. “Did she still marry that scientist? What was his name…? Richard?”

“Yes, they did marry,” Peter answers. Tony doesn’t know what that weird tugging in his chest is all of the sudden. His friendship with Mary had been something he cherished for long even after she made it clear she wouldn’t see him again. She’s probably one of the first people he genuinely loved, and he had on multiple occasions even almost asked her out, only to whimp out at the last second.

The truth had been… he’d been afraid of losing her friendship, in case things would go bad. And then she met that Richar-guy, and after that he swore not to try anything. Of course, that was before they both were as drunk as one could be and eventually ended up in bed together.

That had literally been the last time he’d seen her. He’s never heard of her since, so to suddenly find her son sitting there in front of her… he doesn’t know if it’s a sick joke coming from the universe, or a chance at redemption; a chance to do right by her by helping out her son.

“So, how is she?” Tony asks, not even caring that this interview is not going the way it’s supposed to go. There’s time to ask his usual questions later, right now all he needs is to know if Mary’s okay.

“Eh,” Peter says, looking down at his hands in his lap. “She and my father died, about ten years ago. Plane-crash.”

Tony feels his body go cold, and all the sound around him just disappears. Mary Fitzpatrick, one of the few people that had been there for him after his parents died, is not even there anymore. And somehow, he has never even been made aware of this.

Their family never even thought of mentioning him, which could mean one thing; she told them she didn’t want him in her life anymore, and they followed her last wishes. 

“That’s… oh,” Tony then lets out in a gasp for air. Why does his chest feel so tight? Why does it suddenly hurt when he looks this kid in the eyes? Is it because he reminds him of his own status as an orphan? Peter had been that much younger than Tony had been, so this kid actually had to grow up without his parents.

Tony doesn’t really realize he’s stood up until he finds himself leaning against the window again, one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip. His eyes are closed while he tries to calm his breath, and for a moment he wonders what else could go wrong right now. First, Pepper leaves him, and then he learns that the first woman he’d actually fallen in love with had died years ago and he never even knew.

“I could just return another time,” Peter suggests then, and immediately Tony turns around to face him again. Only one look at Peter makes Tony realize that the boy seems a bit off, himself. There’s this strange expression in his eyes that make it clear that something is bothering him. The bags under his eyes indicate that he hasn’t had a good night’s rest in a while, and then there’s the fact that he looks like he’s actually shaking.

“No, no it’s fine,” Tony assures him. He goes to sit down again immediately, and decides it’s better to just go on. Better to get this one over with so he can start grieving one more person. As if he isn’t already grieving enough. “Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I’d like to know your household’s income to see if you actually qualify for this internship. If you brought that in paper, that would be great, but if not we can look it up together.”

Peter nods and sits up a bit straighter. His eyes light up a bit when Tony lifts up the screen, making sure that the boy can watch along with him. There’s nothing much Tony’s going to look up, mostly just how much his family has as an income.

“Who do you live with?” Tony asks, wondering who had taken him in after Mary and Richard’s death. Tony still can’t really believe that she’s not here anymore. He feels like his body is real close to just crying, but he chokes it up for a little bit longer. The kid doesn’t need to see this.

“I live with my Aunt May. My Uncle used to live with us, but he passed away a few years ago,” Peter says, stumbling a little bit over his words. Tony takes another deep breath, wondering how many family-members one kid can lose at such a young age.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Tony tells him genuinely, earning him a small nod from the teenager. “How would you describe your living-situation?”

At that, the boy seems to need a minute to think about it, and Tony offers it to him patiently. He still feels his eyes sting a little bit, and he almost curses at leaving his sunglasses back at the compound, otherwise he could have just put them on to shield away his red eyes.

“My aunt works full-time at the hospital, mostly doing night shifts. She’s always been offering me to go to college but I knew we couldn’t afford it. Instead I took a few jobs this year, but they never could use me for very long. Right now I work at a pizza-place, and whatever I earn goes to Aunt May to pay the bills,” Peter says. Tony gives him a long look, but he can’t really detect any lie in his voice. His breathing is calm and he’s not nervously biting on his lips, so Tony’s inclined to believe him.

And even if he didn’t, the screen with information he now has in front of him proves it even more. He makes sure to let Peter look along, but Tony doesn’t look at it in detail, only just checking the numbers to make sure. After that, he nods and pushes the screen away.

“I saw that your grades have been… a bit on the low side. Is there any particular reason for this?” Tony asks, feeling almost like a therapist. Of course, he needs to know if the kid’s just lazy, or if there has been something that happened. He knows it’s the latter when he sees the boy grit his teeth together and lower his gaze back to the ground.

“My-uh… I lost somebody I l- my, uh, girlfriend-“ Peter starts, but he never manages to finish the sentence.

“If she left you, she’s an idiot,” Tony says then, trying to relieve him from the answer. He realizes he’s wrong when the kid looks up with big eyes and a mouth dropped open. Oh, he and his insensitive mouth all the time!

“Uh, she’s just- the Goblin- couldn’t… catch her,” the kid then stammers out, not really making any sense at all. But, the mention of the Goblin is enough for Tony to figure it out on his own. He did hear that one of the victims from the whole Goblin-affair half a year ago had been a teenage girl. Another person he had lost… poor kid.

“If you want a chance to bring your grades back up, you’re always welcome to apply for the internship. There’s still a few open slots for the time being, which you might get if you hurry,” Tony says, trying to change the turn in the conversation. The kid looks relieved for that.

“The school _has_ been trying to get me to try it out, but I have been hesitating between here and Oscorp,” he says. Tony raises an eyebrow at the mention of Oscorp, but he doesn’t take it personal at all; Oscorp is good for the _biology_ -side of life, while Stark Industries would offer possibilities in engineering.  “I’m hesitating still between electrical engineering and biochemistry,” Peter confirms Tony’s suspicions. So the boy _is_ leaning towards the scientific side of life. Interesting; it only means he’s got that from his parents. They’d both been very active in that field as well.

“I graduated from electrical engineering, myself. Interesting subject, if you ask me,” Tony explains with a smile. Peter smiles back, but not for long. Somehow, something must be bothering the boy. He’s been quiet and even a bit sick-looking ever since he came in here. Hopefully the kid didn’t catch anything.

Tony finishes filling in the form, afterwards offering the paper back to Peter with his pen pointing at an empty line.

“You’ll need to sign here. Seeing as you’ll only start college after you’ll graduate next year, the scholarship isn’t _immediately_ yours, but you can be certain that you’ll get it once the time is there, Mister Parker,” Tony says, watching how the boy’s face lights up a little bit after hearing that.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” Peter answers shyly, accepting the pen Tony offers him and then signing his name. After that, Tony offers him another empty form where he needs to fill in his own stuff.

“You can fill in this paper now, or you can bring it back later this week. There’s no deadline, really, but I’m sure you’ll want it finished before you’ll start college, am I right?” Tony forces out another smile. His body just feels exhausted right now, and all he wants at this moment is to lie down in his bed and stare at the ceiling. Rather with Pepper at his side, but he can’t have everything now, right?

“That’s alright, I can fill it in right now,” Peter says, continuing his quick scrambling on the paper. After that he gives it to Tony and starts standing up. In his haste, his bag tips over, and a big brown envelope falls out of it, right in front of Tony’s feet. A few papers slid out of it in the fall.

“Here, let me help you,” Tony says, kneeling down to pick up the papers and push them back inside. A few sentences catch his attention, though, but he decides not to spend too much attention to it. Especially after noticing how pale the boy had gotten while Tony took the papers in hands. Quickly enough, Tony offers it back, seeing how Peter actively seems to avoid making eye-contact with him. Why is he so nervous all of the sudden?

“Are you alright, kid?” Tony asks. Peter just nods quickly and pushes the envelope back inside.

“Yeah I’m fine, just… got some weird news today that I still have to process,” Peter says. Tony nods slightly and leans back against his desk.

“I can understand,” Tony says. Hearing that you suddenly have another living family-member _can_ be quite the shock; especially when you’ve lost so much of them already. At least, that’s what Tony supposes the DNA-test is for. He knows what they look like, he’s taken more of them than he’d care to admit each time somebody came to cause drama and tell their kid was his.  “Just think about the internship, though. Give it a good thought, and if you’ll choose for us, we’ll be glad to hear from you.”

“Th-thank you Mr. Stark,” Peter says. After finally managing to put everything away, he accepts the hand Tony had held out, and shakes it.

“Your mother was a real smart woman, one of the smartest I’ve known. I’m very sure you’ll be just as great as her, if not even better,” Tony finds himself saying. He doesn’t understand where this sudden need to comfort Peter has come from, but it’s probably normal. This boy is the sixteen-year-old son of a woman he loved dearly almost seventeen years ago. And even though she completely shut him out of her life for that little slip-up, he never stopped caring for her. And if this boy is her only legacy, the kid is even all the more precious.

After that, Peter is gone, and as if an unseen force has pushed him, Tony falls down onto his chair and his whole body just becomes so heavy that he feels like he might sink through the floor. His chest is hurting; from his quick breathing or his fast heartbeat, he doesn’t know. He’s actually sweating, and he doesn’t know if he’s imagining his muscles tensing and relaxing continuously.

He could have been sitting there for an hour; he wouldn’t be able to tell it. He doesn’t notice the call that comes through. His mind clears a little bit when suddenly something cold is pressed against his face.

“Tony, are you listening?” the familiar voice of Steve Rogers asks, and Tony then opens his eyes to look straight into the Captain’s blue ones. There are hands slapping his face to wake him up; do those belong to Cap? Or is there someone else here? What’s going on?

“What are you-?” Tony finds himself asking, but he can’t find it in himself to finish that sentence.

“You had a panic attack, FRIDAY called me,” Steve explains calmly. He puts a hand behind Tony’s back and suddenly the man is sitting up again. When did he fall down on the ground?

Only once Tony’s vision is cleared again does he notice the carnage around him. His whole office is a mess; his desk is tipped over. His chair looks like it was thrown through the room. A few glasses are shattered on the floor, and so is a, what used to be, full bottle of scotch. The amber liquid is now lying in a puddle and sinking into the wooden floors.

“When did the Hulk get here?” Tony jokes, trying to lighten the mood. His eyes are stinging, and his cheeks feel sticky. That probably means that he must have been crying. Crap, and of course it’s the Cap that found him this way.

“Stop joking around, Tony. What happened?” Steve asks, clearly unimpressed by his attempt to lighten things up. Tony just takes a deep breath, and his eyes drop onto his hands; they are scraped and bloody. He’s probably been punching the wall or something…

“Ah, you know, learning that the first woman you’ve ever loved died years ago without you ever knowing might sting a bit,” Tony says dryly. He just wants to get up and get a drink, but clearly that won’t be possible with the last bottle lying on the ground. At least his subconscious helped him stay away from the booze again.

“What?” Steve asks, sounding a bit shocked. Tony can only shake his head and let out a sinister chuckle.

“It’s of course even better when you get said news by her sixteen year old son who came in to get a scholarship because his family, which by the way only consists him and his aunt, can’t afford college,” Tony adds, thinking back of the poor Peter, and wishing that he didn’t have to go through all those bad things.

“Oh Tony,” Steve says with a pained sound. Tony suddenly feels a hand resting onto his shoulder, and he looks up, only to find Steve staring at him with a worried look. “I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault, Cap,” Tony says, pushing himself up and cursing when his hands protest in pain. Steve immediately takes them in his own and inspects his fingers thoroughly, but Tony doesn’t like the look in his eyes.

“We need to get these hands checked, Tony. I think you actually broke a few fingers,” Steve says, and with that he helps the man get up at last. With an arm wrapped around him, Steve supports Tony out of the building through the private exit. It’s Steve who drives all the way back to the compound, and they’re both completely quiet the entire way.

Once they get there, Dr. Cho wraps his hands up, counting at least three broken fingers. Tony gets some painkillers, and after that, he’s brought back to his guest room at the building.

He’s also perfectly sure that the Captain will never speak a word about the hour he spent crying against his shoulder when the realization hits once again that Mary is dead _and_ Pepper left him.

 

* * *

 

 

On his way to the interview, Peter has thought about how his talk with Mr. Stark would have gotten. His mind had gone over a casual conversation to him eventually interviewing Mr. Stark instead to figure out what kind of man he is.

He didn’t expect it to end up with him practically telling him his whole life and revealing that the guy once knew his mother.

And he’d seen the pain in Stark’s eyes, and the way his breath caught when Peter confessed that she’d died years ago. That expression was not one of a stranger learning somebody he once knew passed away. This look was one of complete distress and agony. This was the face of someone learning that somebody he _loved_ had died.

And now here he is; with the envelope still in his hands, sitting on his bed. One part of him only wished Mr. Stark had read the file, had asked questions, and that Peter would have spilled the beans. But the other part of him is glad; if Peter would have come there, asking for a scholarship and at the same time revealing that he’s his son, the man wouldn’t have believed him at all.

He takes a deep breath, and waits for Aunt May to come home; there’s the matter of him possibly going to college that he needs to discuss.

But by the time that she gets home, he still can’t find anything to say. He’s got only his messed up mind to think with and, honestly, there hasn’t been any opportunity to think of a plan. Right now, all he wants is for Gwen to be here.

She would have helped him figure it out. She would have been by his side when he’d have his talk with Stark. She’d help him find his words when Peter couldn’t.

So instead of talking with Aunt May, Peter takes his jacket – since it’s softly snowing again – and walks towards the nearest subway station. The drive to the cemetery isn’t a long one, and nobody’s paying attention to him while he’s walking through the different graves around him.

It’s easy for him to find her grave; he’s been visiting it every day for three months before toning that down into once a week. Her grave is located next to her dad’s, which was one he’d actually been _avoiding_ after he’d died.

His hands are stuffed in his pockets, and his hair is slowly getting wet from the drops falling into it. He’s only aware that there’s a tear rolling out of his eyes when his eyes actually start to sting.

“Hey Gwen,” Peter says lowly in a greeting. Of course there’s no answer, but every time he’s spent here, he’s always talked to her, and his mind often offered an answer that she’d probably would give. So with keeping his eyes closed, he can perfectly imagine her standing there next to him with her little bonnet on and her knee socks. Her blonde hair is soft and perfect as always, and her blue eyes are as sweet as he can remember.

“ _Hi,”_ she would answer to him. She would reach out her hand to take his in hers, but as he imagines that, he doesn’t feel the touch on his skin.

“So, a lot of stuff has happened,” Peter clarifies after a moment of just standing there. His heart makes a twitch when he imagines her smirking at him.

“ _No kidding,”_ she says. Peter can’t help but laugh along. “ _So, you have a dad again?”_

Peter just shakes his head, smile suddenly faltering.

“He’s not my dad,” he mutters out. “I mean, biologically, yeah, but… I don’t know him all that well. And I can’t really find a way for me to talk to him about it.”

“ _How come?”_

Another shake of his head. “I used to talk to you when it came to stuff like this. You gave me ideas all the time.”

There’s no answer in his mind now. All he can do is imagine Gwen standing there, looking at him with sadness and pity. It’s not a look he wants to receive, but in the end it’s his _own_ mind giving him these images.

“ _Maybe you should stop pushing people away, then,”_ Gwen’s memory offers kindly. Peter finds himself looking up in surprise, almost expecting her to really stand there in front of him. But he knows that she won’t ever be able to do that again.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“ _I know you’re afraid of things ending the way it did with me, but these new people you’ve met… they’ve got powers as well. They won’t be vulnerable._ ”

Peter looks down and lets out a long sigh. His hands nervously tap against his legs and he ends up whistling an annoying tune to calm himself down a bit.

“Like I’d really want Deadpool as my friend,” Peter answers after a long thought, but he realizes that she’s actually right. The best thing he might be able to do is to just talk to these new people. He’s got Wanda already on his side, but now there’s this Yaël girl whose life seems even more fucked up than his own, and, sadly enough, Wade. Of course, the more Peter is able to avoid Wade, the better he’ll be from it.

“ _Right, well, he might not be so bad?”_ Gwen’s memory asks. Peter snorts.

“The dude has already created invitations for our supposed ‘wedding’. I know because he felt the need to text me this about half an hour ago,” Peter says, picking up his cellphone and showing the text to the open air. Gwen won’t be able to read it because she’s just not there.

“ _That sounds like fun.”_ Even in Peter’s mind Gwen starts to make jokes. “ _Just, don’t hold on to me for too long. I might be your first love, but I won’t be your last one. Open yourself up for more things to come_.”

“Woah, I never mentioned anything about dating!” Peter suddenly calls out, and while he only has been whispering the whole time, now that he raises his voice some heads turn towards him. Probably people wondering who he’s talking to.

 _Just chatting with my dead girlfriend, nothing to worry about_ , Peter thinks bitterly.

“ _Yet somehow your head lingers to the thought. People have been asking you out a lot these days. I just hope you’re rejecting them all the time just because you’re not interested rather than you being stuck on me.”_

Peter squeezes his eyes shut again. The raining has gone even stronger now, and Peter’s completely wet from head to toe. If he stays here much longer, he’ll probably end up with a cold, which really is a no-go in August.

“I haven’t been asked out _that_ much,” Peter retorts, but the moment the words leave his mouth he realizes that it’s not true. During the whole summer holiday a few girls have been asking him to hang out for a while. At his workplace there’s a girl who is obviously crushing on him and he’s been ignoring that the whole time. And then, recently, when that guy at Mr. Stark’s reception gave him his phone number… people have been noticing him, but he hasn’t been noticing others.

“Okay maybe I have, but the last one doesn’t count! He’s a guy!” Peter counters before she can say anything to it. He can just imagine her smirk as if she’s standing right in front of him.

 _“Yet you still kept that number?_ ”

Right. He did.

But in his defense, it’s mostly because that damn number is put on a piece of paper that held all the details on his appointment with Mr. Stark.

Right?

“Come on, you know I’m not-“ Peter starts, but his own mind stops him.

“ _Of course, I’m not saying you are. But you never know for sure until you try it,”_ comes out. Peter wants to smash his own face against the ground. He came here to look for a way to talk to Mr. Stark, but somehow his train of thoughts brought him onto a point where he might actually think about going on a date with another dude.

“Well, I’ll see. So far hasn’t peaked my interest,” Peter mutters with a shrug.

“ _You know, it would help you if you would talk about this with_ real _friends instead of imaginary ones. The advice I’m giving you is actually just your own,”_ Gwen says with a grin. Peter laughs then as well, and then figures he’s right about that. With his eyes closed he imagines Gwen disappearing again, and after a few more seconds of just standing there in silence, he turns around again and heads back home to take a hot bath and warm up his body again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure scholarships don't really work this way; I have absolutely no idea how the American school-system works, no matter how much research I do on it. It's probably even still too early for Peter to try and get the scholarship, but after watching Homecoming we changed the story to fit Tom Holland's version into it. The first version of the story picked up after Amazing Spider-Man 2, where Peter graduated but DIDN'T go to college.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:   
> \- violence

It’s a never-ending battle. Whenever Peter thinks he’s almost got it, he just ends up right back at the beginning with an even worse headache for it. His last fight isn’t helping him, and after a few minutes his back is already aching, still not healed from the hard blow he’s gotten during that battle with him and one of Hammer’s rogue androids – and of course he got another warning from the Avengers, telling him to stay away from the danger.

“Electrical Engineering?” Peter asks out loud, pointing his hands at the folder on his bed, “or biochemistry?”

It feels like the choice is eating him from the inside. He loves to create things and he’s savvy with most of the tech he’s coming across with, but on the other hand he just wonders if he would be following that program because he _wants_ it, rather than just because he wants to step into his biological father’s footsteps.

He’s a genius in biology and chemistry, and the combination of it is even better and sounds almost heavenly. It feels like the perfect choice for him, really. He loves the molecular structure of the human body, and he feels like he could actually create the ultimate cure like his parents had intended to do if he would end up on that field.

So, there’s enough reason to go for biochemistry, right? But, then, why do his eyes always move back to the electrical engineering folder on his bed?

Meditating on it doesn’t help. Neither does making some weird rap-song about which one is better (and to be honest it’s good that nobody was there, then…), nor the diagram or the table he drew about it. To keep it short, he’s stuck with a choice and he’s… eh… just stuck.

“What do I want to do for the rest of my life?”

Either way, whatever he chooses, he’ll end up following one parent anyway; biochemistry would be for the career his parents had. Electrical engineering would be continuing in his new father’s line of work. Both subjects interest him; the first one because he’s always been good at it and could be even better, but the second because it’ll get him to make new things, invent new stuff, which is something he also finds himself doing most of his free time.

And it’s not like the choice is immediate, but whichever internship he’ll chose will give him possible advantages, so it seems. But, once again, choosing wrong now can only give him the best answer on what his definitive choice will have to be once he graduates high school.

“Aunt May!” Peter suddenly finds himself calling out when the frustration just gets too much and there’s nothing else he can think of. Of course, he hasn’t even told her he’s even considering going back to college. The whole reason he’s even doing this is because he got that interview with Stark to get to know the guy a bit better after finding out he’s his dad! Holy crap, how is this even his life?

“What’s wrong, Peter?” aunt May asks, opening his door and raising her eyebrows when she finds him sitting on the bed.

“Okay so I got this scholarship from Stark Industries for when I go to college, don’t ask me how I got it I just spontaneously went inside and made an appointment and then the guy just gave it to me after I told him my sad story, and now I find myself with enough money to go to college _and_ help you with the rent of the house but the only problem here is now that I have to choose which internship I’ll try for because I can’t decide between Electrical Engineering at Stark’s or Biochemistry at Oscorp and I need your help because what do you think will be better for me?”

Oh, maybe he should try to breathe, too.

There’s no immediate answer coming from Aunt May. If she would have been a computer, Peter’s sure she would have just crashed from overload of input coming in. Somehow while he had been talking Peter managed to push the folders of both the subjects into Aunt May’s hands, but now afterwards he can’t really remember when he did that.

“P-Peter, where did this suddenly come from?” Aunt May finally asks after a while. She’s giving both pamphlets short looks but she doesn’t open them, instead lowering her hands as her eyes meet his again. Her face looks confused, but at least not angry.

Not that Peter expected her to be angry about this, anyway.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said; about me giving this internship a shot,” Peter explains, wondering if he’s actually lying right here? “I figured it’s time for me to get my act back together.”

Aunt May stays quiet for a long moment as she gives Peter a long look. Then, without a warning, she wraps her arms around him and a happy cry comes out of her mouth.

“Oh, Peter! I’m so happy to hear this,” she calls out in excitement. Her face is pressed against his shoulder, and her arms are squeezing him really tightly. She’s actually quite strong for such a little lady, and Peter’s almost sure she can hold her own would she ever get into a fight – not that he hopes that will ever happen, of course!

“Yeah,” Peter just sighs out. He’s not getting closer to his answer here, and he’d rather have it by tomorrow so he could arrange the meeting with Stark if it would be necessary. Or at Oscorp, even though Peter feels a small chill at the idea of returning there without Gwen in it. No, that’s probably not such a good idea. Surely there are other place he could try out for biochemistry.

“Oh I wish your Uncle were here, he would be so proud of you,” Aunt May continues on. Peter catches the tears in her eyes, and wonders if it really was such a good idea to tell her already. Especially when she starts pressing a few kisses on his forehead and keeps his face in a strong grip to keep him from pulling away.

“Aunt May, come on, I’m not getting married!” Peter counters while trying to take a step back. He’s strong enough to force himself out of her hands, but he holds himself on. Her affection isn’t all that bad.

“I know how hard you’ve been having it, Peter,” she starts suddenly, looking at him with her sad eyes. “It’s been such a rough time for you, and you had trouble getting back on track, but you found your way back all on your own. I’m so proud of you;”

Peter can almost roll his eyes at her compliments. Actually, his life is still kind of crappy. The only reason why he’s even considered it is because he wanted to get to know his father.

And isn’t that the answer now, though? He wants to get to know him.

What better way to do that than getting an internship in his company? He can make sure to be noticed – surely, if his background doesn’t help him, his inventions surely will do the trick, and that’s not to gloat or anything – and end up working closely with the man, right? He will then get to know him as Peter Parker rather than Spider-Man. Maybe then someone would take him seriously.

By the time Aunt May leaves him in his room to share the happy news with her friends, Peter finds himself still an answer short. May turned out to be more enthusiastic about it than he had anticipated, and once again he’s left alone with only his own mind.

The same mind that offered him an imaginary conversation with Gwen earlier.  Maybe she – actually he, since the conversation was built out of nothing more but his own thoughts – was right. Maybe Peter can’t really figure this thing out by himself. Maybe he _does_ need some friends.

And when he receives a text from that all-too-annoying Wade, telling him that he should go to that girl’s apartment – Yaël, Peter reminds himself – and that they should meet up with him in the park, Peter only hesitates for a few seconds before turning into action and grabbing his bag.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter has to admit that he likes Yaël’s dry sense of humor. It reminds him much of his own, and he’s sure she mostly developed it by hanging out with Wade all the time; he really has that effect on people.

True, Peter had been quite sarcastic and dry himself for quite a while _before_ Wade ever even showed up in his life for the first time – and what a meeting that had been! Peter had just been swinging around the city for a moment, checking for disturbances, when suddenly a random guy starts swinging along with him and starts a casual conversation as if it’s the most normal thing to do while hanging high up in the air. When Peter had asked him how exactly he did it, Deadpool had looked up to his empty hands and then had fallen down on the ground with a loud splat.

To say that Peter had been panicking the entire time his body had lain on the ground as if it were dead is an understatement, and to this day Peter still doesn’t understand how the guy had been swinging along with him back then.

Anyway, after a short moment of being accused as a stalker and lots of talk about a certain McDreamy dying in that one show Aunt May loves to watch after a short greeting in pajamas, Peter and Yaël make their way out of her crappy small apartment. And Peter feels like he has the right to say that it’s crappy, because the paint is chipping off the walls and he’s sure there’s something smelling like a dead mouse somewhere behind the sink. He’s not sure if he should tell her, though.

After she asks him for all the news on his current situation, he brings her up to date, firstly by confirming that the test came in positive. Since she’s the person he’s going to ask for help for, he figures he should give her the whole story. With that, he doesn’t keep secret that his father is in fact Tony Stark himself.

“Sorry, man, I don’t know who that is,” Yaël tells him suddenly after finishing his story. If Peter would ever have the biggest shock of them all, this would be it. Tony Stark is one of the most famous people in the entire world, firstly because of his company but his popularity grew even more after revealing that he’s Iron Man! How could one _not_ know him unless they’ve been living under a rock for years.

Well, okay, her apartment comes close to being that, though.

“Tony Stark, lady and gentleman, is _the_ one and only Iron Man,” Wade’s voice suddenly says from behind them. The two turn around in a quick surprise, though Yaël seems to jump a bit more than Peter does. To be honest, in his time as Spider-Man, Peter has quite grown used to the guy popping in during the most random moments.

“How could you _not_ know him?” Peter asks before he remembers that she didn’t know Fury and Professor X before, either. “The guy owns pretty much everything here, comes on the news practically every day.”

“Ah, well, X and Fury told me not to watch the news, fearing it might trouble my mind or whatever their crappy excuse was to keep me out of the world…”

Nobody responds to that, understanding that there’s just a lot of things that she wouldn’t know right at this moment and that they shouldn’t try to force it all on her. They walk forward in silence, slowly nearing the pond where Peter can already see the ducks swimming about.

“So you want to get to know your daddy, Parker?” Wade suddenly asks, fishing out a bag full of bread from his pack. Both Peter and Yaël raise their eyebrows in confusion; what can they expect him to do now?

“Well, I don’t know,” Peter answers truthfully. Sure, he’d rather not tell his life story to Wade Wilson, but right now he’s one of the only friends he’s got. However sad that is. “For now, I’d rather he didn’t know, but on the other hand I really _do_ want to get to know him. I want to know who he is before I come sending him his ‘it’s a boy!’ card, you see?” Man, that was a lot of ‘know’ in one sentence!

While Peter speaks, Wade starts walking to the water and throws out some bread towards the little ducks, who happily fish out whatever he gives them. So, to be clear on this, Wade asked them to come to the park… to feed the ducks?

Well, Peter never said the guy was sane, right?

“How do you plan to get to know him?” the blue-haired girl next to him asks, and Peter turns his head again towards her. Yaël’s brown eyes look at him in genuine interest, but he fears that the answer is still not present in his mind.

“I don’t know! I’ve been breaking my head about this but I just can’t get to a simple plan,” Peter confesses in annoyance. He kicks away a little stone from the ground, and when it lands in the water the ducks fly away in panic.

“Hey!” Wade shouts out. Peter ignores him.

“When I went in for my scholarship, the guy offered me to run an internship at his company as well, but I just don’t know if I should do it or not.”

Peter barely notices the piece of bread being pushed in his hand, but he does find himself coming at some sort of weird peace with each piece of bread he throws.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Yaël asks while launching quite a big piece into the water. Two ducks start fighting for it, making quite some noise in the process.

“Because it’s a prequel to a major in electrical engineering, and though it interests me, I’m also interested in biochemistry,” Peter explains. His piece of bread is finished, and when he wants to turn to Wade to ask for a new piece, he finds the guy knee-deep into the water while having a conversation of his own with the ducks.

“I say you should do it,” is the answer he receives, and _finally_ , was it really that hard for somebody to say what he should do? Sure, it’s not that he needs permission or something from anybody, but just some encouragement is enough, he should think.

“I should go for Stark Industries, you think?” Okay, now he knows he’s just postponing coming to a final decision. To be fair, maybe his choice has been made a few days ago already, but he probably just wants to convince himself that the ultimate answer is a hard one to find.

“Yes, totally!” Yaël shouts with much enthusiasm. The smile on her face is genuine, and for a moment Peter finds himself silenced by the sudden realization that he’s not in this alone, anymore.

This girl can be his friend, just like Wanda – who has proven to be the kindest and most gentle person he knows right now. She does appear a bit sad sometimes. Peter wonders why, but on the other hand he knows it’s not his place to ask. If Wanda wants to tell, she’ll do it when she’s ready.

“I would have to sign up for the interview, then,” Peter thinks out loud. He can’t believe he’s actually going to do this. “Have another talk with Mr. Stark to get the job… I wonder what Wanda would say about this?” Peter doesn’t look forward too much to talking with the guy once more; which is actually ridiculous since he’s planning on doing this just to get the _chance_ to be near him.

“Hey, if you get there, tell Pepper Potts I said ‘hi’! If she’s not with Stark anymore, it means I have another chance with her!” Wade calls out, standing in the lake with the water coming up to his hips. Yaël gives Wade a confused look, but all Peter can do is raise an eyebrow at him.

In what universe would Mrs. Potts give Wade a chance?

Wait…

“They’ve broken up?” Peter asks, confused. “How would you know?”

Wade shrugs, not bothering to explain. Peter frowns then, thinking back of the last time he actually saw Tony Stark. He has seemed a bit off during the interview for the internship, but Peter had just figured that was his discomfort of talking to teenagers. As far as he’s always known, Tony Stark doesn’t do well with youth – which is actually crap, come to think of it; how is he ever going to tell the guy ‘hey, I’m your son by the way?’ if he’s not at all good with children?

But, Wanda did tell him that Stark has been living in the compound lately, rather than his probably very luxury penthouse at the tower. Could Mrs. Potts departure be the reason for that?

“Who’s Wanda?” Yaël suddenly asks, and Peter remembers bringing her up in his train of thought.

“Oh, she’s one of the new Avengers, telepathic and telekinetic and all, helped me getting Mr. Stark’s blood for the DNA-test a while back,” Peter shrugs. “I guess she’s a friend.”

“Well, any friend of yours can be a friend of ours. She should hang out with us, maybe? I could use another girl in this group filled with testosterone,” Yaël laughs, and Peter laughs along with her. Then suddenly her eyes go wide and she turns towards Wade, shouting out something disturbing from that show of hers. Peter decides to stay out of it, instead looking a bit to the side and taking in the calm currently going around in the park.

Man, it’s nice to see the birds fly. But, wait…

That’s not a bird.

“Uh, guys?” Peter starts, reaching out for his new friend but failing to get her attention. Then, as if the universe is trying to screw with him, a loud explosion disturbs the peace going around here. The figure flying in the air passes right over them, as if he’s trying to taunt Peter.

Well, Harry still _knows_ who he is, after all.

Before he can explain something to Yaël or Wade, Peter’s reflexes get the better of him and he starts to run towards the trees. Underneath his clothes, he’s already wearing his suit – an old habit of his that comes in mighty handy most of the time. As quickly as possible, he puts all his clothes into his backpack and hangs it up somewhere in the trees with his webs before jumping up. His heart is racing, thoughts of Harry’s – no, the _Goblin’s_ disturbing smile filling his head.

_Where does he keep coming from? What does he want?_ Peter shakes his head. Now’s not the time to start asking these questions. What matters is that they catch him so they can put him away again, and maybe take care of him.

Bring _Harry_ back to him.

The moment Peter makes eye-contact with him, the Goblin throws down a smoke-bomb that surrounds them in a wide circle. Another wide and creepy smile appears on his face, but he does not approach. Neither does Peter, who suddenly feels something extremely uneasy in his chest.

“Peter,” the Goblin says suddenly, leaning his head to the side but not losing his grin. “How’s Gwen?”

Peter gasps out in surprise, though he should have expected for the Goblin to taunt him. Not really in control of his anger, Peter cries it out as he rushes towards the other figure, holding his fist ready to give him a blow in the face. Before he can make contact, the Goblin flies back up in the air and moves to the side, away from Peter’s angry blow.

“Oh, my, someone’s a bit sensitive,” then comes out, and Peter lets out another breath before he tries again, once more failing. “C’mon, aren’t you happy to see an old friend?”

Peter huffs out a laugh, breathing faster than he should be right now. He stands still for a moment, trying to think through another plan of attack.

“I would be happy to see my friend, so if you would just… bring him back.”

The Goblin laughs it out, shaking his head while his hand rests on his stomach.

“No no no, Peter, that’s not how it works. You should just come to realize that I _am_ your old friend.”

Peter shakes his head as well, balling his hands into fists, but standing his ground once more. He shouldn’t throw angry punches again; the Goblin is too fast for that. Before he can speak, he hears voices around him, recognizing the Falcon, Captain America and no-one other than freaking’ Wade. Somebody is giving orders to get rid of the smoke as quickly as possible, but Peter tries to ignore it all.

“ _Damn it where is Iron Man when you need him? – Indisposed. War-Machine is on his way!”_ suddenly sounds from next to him, and that manages to distract Peter immediately. Before he knows it, the Goblin’s glider moves forward once more, hurrying towards him and hitting him with such a force that his breath is taken out of his lungs immediately. Before he can really think anything, he drops into the ice-cold water with the Goblin’s full weight upon him.

Hitting the ground doesn’t help at all. Especially when said adversary is suddenly wrapping his gloved hands around his neck to keep him under. He can hear him talk, but the words are muffled. Whatever he’s saying, Peter can only understand half of it.

Of couse, he only needs half to understand what the guy’s on about.

_“Do you remember when I asked you for help? Do you remember when I told you I was dying, and you refused to give me what I needed?_ ”

Peter puts his hands on the Goblin’s, trying to pull them away from him. His feet are struggling to break him free, but instead he’s sinking further into the ground. His lungs start to sting, running empty of air. He can’t speak, breathe, and he can slowly feel his force leaving him.

Right when his vision starts to go black, the Goblin’s weight is gone and somebody is pulling him back out of the water, throwing him back down on the grass. Peter gasps for air, but accidentally breathes in some of the water that was still in his mouth, causing him to start coughing harder than ever before.

“Jesus, kid, are you alright?” someone asks, and when Peter looks up, he finds Hawkeye standing over him. He’s wet, meaning that he’s the one that pulled him out.

Through his coughing, Peter looks back up to the sky, where he sees the Goblin and Falcon engaged in a battle of their own. Now, completely distracted from Peter, the Goblin’s smile is gone and he’s giving it all he’s got to rid himself of these heroes trying to defeat him.

“Spidey?” Hawkeye asks once more, and Peter realizes that he never answered his question. With a sharp nod, he tries to make clear that he’s fine – or will be fine, as soon as his lungs have recovered from the temporary lack of air. His throat hurts from all the coughing, and he’s sure he’ll be hoarse for the next few days.

After making sure that Peter’s not going to choke on his own breath, Hawkeye runs back into the action, leaving Peter to recover on his own. With trembling legs, Peter gets himself up. It takes a lot of effort to keep standing, but eventually he’s back on his two feet, trying to get a grip on what’s going on around him now.

Hawkeye is shooting arrows in the Goblin’s direction. The Falcon is still in a direct duel with him. Somewhere, Peter can hear repulsors charging, but upon remembering that Iron Man isn’t here, he figures it must be _War Machine_ instead. As the smoke slowly subsides, Peter can also see Cap standing further away, talking to Yaël in a hurry. He frowns, wondering what that’s all about. But before he can do anything more, he feels a cold shudder pass through his entire body. Something incoming, from his right.

Trusting his spider-sense, Peter jumps forward in a roll, barely managing to escape another blow coming from the Goblin, who seems to have pried himself away from the battle just long enough to attempt and take Peter again.

“Not this time,” Peter mutters, pointing his web-shooters in the Goblin’s direction and hitting him right in the face with his webs. A shout comes out of the Goblin’s mouth, and his stance on his glider seems compromised. The other heroes catch up on it, and everybody hurries back towards him almost at the same time.

As if he heard them all coming, the Goblin stops struggling to get the web out of his face, and points the glider back up into the air, managing to escape the blow he was about to receive from the group of Avengers.

“I’ll be back for you, Spider-Man!” the Goblin then shouts out right before disappearing back into the air. The Falcon and War Machine race back after him, but Clint and Cap stay down watching them leave with a loud sigh escaping from their mouths. Peter drops himself on the ground and just lies down, looking into the sky through his mask and noticing that there are some scratches in his glasses. Great, he’ll need to get that fixed once more.

Oh what he would do right now to get out of the suit. As if it isn’t bad enough that everything’s spandex these days, he’s also still soaking wet and hurting all over. His wounds from the last explosion have barely healed, themselves. Maybe he needs to be looked at by Dr. Cho once more?

“Kid, are you alright?” Cap suddenly asks. Peter opens his eyes again, not realizing that he’s closed them, and looks back towards the Super Soldier next to him. Peter holds up his hand to give him a thumb’s up.

“Yeah, I’m peachy. Just gonna lie down here for a sec, though,” Peter returns, frowning at how raspy his voice sounds. Aunt May surely is going to ask questions again. What’s Peter going to say, this time? Should he blame it on another common cold? Hell, maybe he’ll even catch one as well.

“You were down in the water quite a while, are you sure you don’t need to be looked at?” Cap continues his questioning. Just as Peter wants to flip away the question, Hawkeye answers for him.

“C’mon, Cap, it’s not because Stark’s not here that you have to take over that overprotective behavior of his? The kid says he’s fine, he’s fine and that’s that.”

Peter wants to sit up, ask further about Mr. Stark and find out where he is, but at the same time he knows that might look a bit weird. So, instead of doing that, Peter stands up completely, giving his wet suit an exaggerated once-over.

“Tony worries about him for a reason, Clint. He’s still a kid, after all,” Cap counters, not noticing Peter shaking his uniform dry next to him. “He shouldn’t even be doing this yet, I’m sure he has family that worries about him!”

“Hey, I’m right here, you know?” Peter quickly mutters in annoyance, tired of everybody treating him like a kid all the time.

“You could have died!” Cap says, pointing towards Peter to prove his point. Hawkeye rolls his eyes and slings his bow over his shoulder.

“Whatever, man, the kid can take care of his own. It seems like everybody seems to forget the lizard-incident, or that electric-dude.” Hawkeye shakes his head and puts his hands on his hips. “I’m going back to the tower. If you’re not there to make sure Stark takes his pills, somebody else has to babysit him.” Hawkeye waves as he starts walking away from them. As Peter watches him go, he notices Wade – in uniform – lounging in a tree and eating a burrito. Where did he even get one?

Cap just shakes his head and lets out another sigh while scratching the back of his head. Peter _really_ wants to ask what’s going on with Mr. Stark. He _really_ does. But knowing the Captain, he surely won’t reveal it to him. Cap’s a trustworthy guy, and as far as he’s noticed, his friendship with Mr. Stark is, while weird, a close one.

“Everything alright, sir?” Peter tries, anyway. Cap turns to look at him, lowering his hand and sighing once more. Then he nods with a smile Peter knows isn’t all that genuine.

“Yeah, son,” he says, unintentionally pulling some strings inside Peter’s chest. Only the Captain would call him _son_ occasionally. At least, since Uncle Ben… “It was just a weird fight, I suppose.”

“Tell me about it, he keeps on sneaking up on me,” Peter mutters. While shaking his head, he feels once more that he’s still completely _wet_. Stupid shit-suit.

“Yeah, uh… you have any idea why?” Cap asks. Peter shrugs.

“Had a misunderstanding in the past. He wanted something from me that I couldn’t give, and he took it personally,” Peter tries to keep it simple, but it hurts to just talk about it like this. Like Gwen’s… like it had just been an accident and not an attempt of Harry – The Goblin to get even.

“You sure that’s all?” the Cap asks, as if he knows something more is going on. Peter just shrugs and looks away.

“Listen, uhm, my suit’s still pretty wet and it’s _extremely_ cold. I think I should just go and get changed,” he says, pointing back towards the forest where his backpack with very dry clothes is waiting for him – hopefully. It wouldn’t be the first time it got stolen, though this time he put it up high enough away, right?

“Of course, I’ll see you later, Spider-Man,” Captain America says, saluting Peter before jogging away from him in the direction Hawkeye took. Peter casts one short look at where Yaël had been standing, only to find she’s no longer there. She must have taken off, gotten away from the battle. It’s too bad, her powers would have been helpful. Wade, on the other hand, seems to have been especially _unhelpful_. That’s why Peter just ignores the figure in the tree and hurries back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We know we messed a bit with canon here; we just didn't really like the idea of Clint abandoning his family to do some hero-work, but at the same time we really wanted him in the story more. We talked about it for a while, and agreed that, in here Clint never married Laura. Not that we dislike her character or their kids, but it just didn't feel right in the story.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the chapter. Proof read by myself, so please point out anything I've missed. It's about 1:31 in here, I had an evening shift at the hospital, and I'm exhausted, so I might have missed a few things! 
> 
> Again, enjoy, and feel free to let us know what you think!
> 
> Warnings: crazy car scene, mentions of depression

Peter drops down the papers in the kitchen when he gets home.

It’s nothing too important, just administrative papers for school for his request at doing an internship; his hours for school, his papers to arrange transport there, and whatever else. Peter figures he might have a look at that later.

Aunt May isn’t home, running another shift at the hospital, once again working too hard to bring money on the table. It’s bothering Peter quite a lot, thinking how he’s got one sickeningly rich father who would be able to get them out of their troubles without any effort. The only problem is that said father has no idea he _is_ Peter’s father.

Speaking of him, Peter quickly checks at his phone to see the time, finding that it’s almost three in the afternoon. His appointment with Mr. Stark is at five, meaning that he has two more hours to kill.

With the way he’s internally freaking out, this is the exact moment he would have taken to just go at Gwen’s place and chill out for a bit. Of course, he can’t go to her anymore, but Peter quickly remembers that he has friends now.

Well, sort of… he’s not really sure how to call them since he doesn’t really have much contact with them – or well, he mostly just ignores Wade’s request for a quicky after a battle in the future. In any way, he’s sure that he could go to the weird purple-haired girl he’s come to call ‘friend’ so quickly after meeting her. It’s quite strange.

He thinks over whether or not he should give her a call, but after a moment of thought he comes to the decision of just getting to her place. She’ll surely still be there.

Remembering that it had been raining when he returned home, Peter grabs his coat from the hanger before putting his backpack on. He quickly looks down to see if his suit isn’t showing under his shirt, and then he takes the papers back, puts them in the bag, and heads out of the door while still throwing it over his shoulder.

Having grabbed his skateboard, Peter throws it down on the ground none-too-gently before putting one foot on it. He knows it’s quite a little way before he’ll get there, but at least this way he’ll kill more time. In the case that Yaël wouldn’t be home, Peter would just continue walking towards Stark Industries and lose more time. At least this way he can clear his head some more.

Another coughing fit gets the better of him, and Peter groans in annoyance. He had been correct to think that almost drowning would leave him sick. One day after walking around with an extremely sour throat, Peter had caught a cold that kept him in bed for two more days. His nose had felt horrible while leaking all the time, and he couldn’t spend one minute without ending up coughing his lungs out. Even now, he’s still not feeling one hundred percent better, but he doesn’t want to postpone this.

Better to just get everything over with.

With each bird that Peter sees flying in the air, his mind immediately warns him that the Goblin has returned. As it turns out, having a cold means that his senses are all messed up, feeling danger whenever there isn’t any. Another cold chill passes him by, but nothing happens.

The Goblin… as it turns out, Falcon and War Machine failed to catch the guy, meaning that he’s still wandering around somewhere, doing who knows what! It’s no wonder Peter’s feeling so paranoid right now, since Harry – err, the Goblin – seems to have taken a special interest in getting Peter out of the picture.

How did Harry even escape? He thought they’d capture him that first time? He should have asked, but only thinks of it now…

With his hands in his pockets and his eyes looking down at the ground, Peter isn’t really aware of what’s happening in front of him, which is why he’s taken by surprise when he suddenly walks up against somebody.

“Watch out!” a low voice says angrily. Peter looks up, seeing a tall man standing there with his phone pressed against his ear. Said man is no-one other than _Dr. Stephen Strange_ ; Peter recognizes him from one of the pictures Aunt May showed him when the guy appeared in the newspaper for one of his miraculous saves. He doesn’t pay any further attention on Peter as he walks towards the hospital. Huh, Peter hadn’t even noticed he was here already.

He contemplates if he should get inside and pay Aunt May a visit, but eventually he decides not to do it. He shouldn’t disturb her while she’s working, especially if Strange is here today. That’s one of the surgeons Peter mostly likes to avoid, after all the stories Aunt May told about him.

No, better keep out of his way. Peter sighs and pushes his skateboard forward again. It feels good to just travel around like any ordinary teenage kid would do. Sure, it’s awesome being Spider-Man, but sometimes he misses being normal a bit.

After one hour of just walking (skateboarding?) around, Peter finds himself in front of the building that contains Yaël’s crappy apartment. Without hesitation, he takes the skateboard in hand and jumps up the stairs. The apartment is on the top floor, but Peter has no trouble getting to the top. With quick knocks on the door, Peter announces his presence.

What he doesn’t expect is for Captain America himself to open the door.

“Uh-,” Peter gets out, feeling the air escape his lungs. The man in front of him – Steve Rogers, Peter reminds himself, since he’s not in uniform right now – just chuckles as he leans against the door.

“I suspect you’re here for Yaël, aren’t you?” the man asks. Peter nods, unable to say anything. “You’re welcome to come inside. I’ll go wake her.”

 _Wake_ her? She’s still asleep? What the hell, it’s four in the afternoon!

“Th-thank you, sir,” Peter mutters, unsure whether he should call him Cap or Mr. Rogers. Surely, Steve would be too bold of him. After receiving a nod from the man, Peter hurries inside and drops down his skateboard and bag. Then he shrugs off his coat, which is barely wet since it stopped raining ten minutes into his trip.

Mr. Rogers walks away from the living room, getting towards where Peter suspects is Yaël’s bedroom. Instead of getting inside, he knocks on the door a few times, almost loud enough to wake somebody in a coma. Peter just clears his throat and decides to take place on the couch.

Wow, he really wasn’t expecting this; Steve Rogers and Yaël? Together? He wouldn’t have expected it from the Captain, really. But then again, what does he know about the man?

“Yaël, get up!” Mr. Rogers calls out, knocking once more. When there’s still no answer, the man sighs and opens the door to get inside. Peter decides to look away, fishing out his cellphone. At first he thinks of checking his Facebook, but instead he decides to just start up a little game of Solitaire until they’re back.

After what can’t be less than a minute, Mr. Rogers is taking place on the couch in front of him, giving Peter a friendly smile. There’s noise coming from Yaël’s bedroom, meaning that she’s getting herself ready for the day… well, whatever’s left of it.

“So, what’s your name?” Mr. Rogers asks. Peter opens up his mouth to answer, but then another coughing fit takes control of him.

With trouble, he manages to stammer out his name. “Peter Parker, sir.”

Instead of being disgusted by Peter’s sick state, Mr. Rogers only holds out his hand towards Peter with a smile. Peter accepts the handshake.

“Steve Rogers,” the man simply says. “Just call me Steve.”

Yeah, okay. That’s going to be hard to remember. 'Mr. Rogers' just comes to naturally to him.

“So, what brings you here, Peter?”

Oh, they’re going for small talk while waiting for Yaël to get out of bed? What is she even still doing there? Post-coital nap? Oh crap, Peter really didn’t have to think about Captain America having sex with anybody, thank you very much!

“Uh, I have an appointment at Stark Industries in an hour, and thought I could just… kill time here for a while,” Peter shrugs. Steve’s eyes go wide upon the mention at Mr. Stark’s company.

“Really? What’s the meeting about? If I may ask, of course?” Typical Captain America, so friendly all the time. Peter just chuckles and shakes his head while looking at his hands.

“Nothing much, just a talk with Mr. Stark to get an internship at his company,” Peter says in a soft shrug. Steve then smiles at him.

“He will be glad to hear that. Don’t tell him I said this, but he really enjoys giving the younger generations the chance of learning. Though there’s a chance you won’t really see much of him, I’m afraid.”

“How so?” Peter asks, immediately afraid that his plan will be for nothing.

“There are interns, sure. But only a select few are allowed to work with Tony personally. He only takes the most promising students fully under his wings, I suppose,” Steve says, sounding a bit off while he talks. Then he sighs and offers Peter another smile. “But if you’re a smart kid, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it.”

Crap, Peter knows he’s smart, but he doesn’t know if he’s smart enough to be working with Mr. Stark! No matter he’s got his own brain from the man, he’s never really been surrounded into the electrical engineering world like _he_ has been. Mostly, everything Peter knows is self-taught.

“’Mornin’,” Yaël mutters while getting herself to her coffee machine. Peter gives the purple-haired girl a long look, raising his eyebrow at her while she grabs a mug from the counter.

“Uh, it’s past four in the afternoon?” Peter says. Yaël looks up in confusion, but then her eyes open up wide.

“Oh, crap! I knew I shouldn’t have partied with Wade last night,” she mutters. Steve chuckles, then. “How long have you been here, by the way?” she then asks the other man, who in turn shrugs in response.

“Somehow, Wade called me up and told me you needed an escort home. After I got you here, I made myself comfortable on the couch,” Steve says. Peter then rests his eyes back on the Captain sitting in front of him. So… the two _didn’t_ have sex together? At least that’s a relief, somehow.

“You could have woken me,” Yaël mutters into her cup. After taking a large gulp, she turns back to Peter. “You have your interview, no?”

Peter nods, glad she does remember.

“When?”

“Uh, in forty minutes,” Peter says, looking down at his watch. Yaël’s eyebrows go up.

“So what’cha doin’ here?” she asks.

“Uh, wanted to hang, I suppose. Got a bit nervous,” Peter answers. She would know why he would be nervous, but he hopes she won’t bring the issue up. It’s not time for even Steve Rogers to know that Tony Stark has a son.

After taking another sip from her coffee, Yaël drops down the mug and dries her upper lip.

“You need me to join?”

Uh, that was not his intention at all. What would she even want to tag along for? Who knows how long the interview could last? She would end up bored as _hell_ while waiting for him.

Somehow, it’s Steve who seems opposed to that idea. “Yaël,” he somehow warns her, and Yaël holds up her hands in a questioning stance. Then she rolls her eyes.

“Sure, the guy somehow can’t _stand_ me, but it’s not like I’ll run in to him, right? Besides, if he’s so butthurt about it, he can just kiss my-“

“Yaël!” Steve and Peter say at the same time, both with cheeks slightly colored red. Then Yaël closes her mouth, realizing where she was going with that line. Lowering her head, she holds up her hands again.

“Sorry, shouldn’t have said that,” she mutters. “But c’mon Steve, I can’t let Peter go there alone! Can’t you see how nervous he is?”

At that, Steve turns to look at him. Peter then, too, looks down at his own hands, realizing that he’s indeed trembling. Oh, crap… Quickly, he pulls his hands back and hides them in the pockets of his hoody. Steve then sighs, again.

“Fine, just… stay away from him, okay? I know it sounds kind of… mean from him, but I really think he can’t handle it right now.”

The Cap and Yaël look at each other a bit longer, and Peter just clears his throat and tries to keep his gaze everywhere but at the two of them. Then he bites his lips, getting his hands back out of his pockets to clap them together.

“Right, uh… Do you have a car, maybe?” Peter asks, trying to get the conversation to go forward. Yaël moves away from the counter after that, revealing that she _is_ actually dressed to go outside, despite her hair looking the way it should look after waking up. Her hands come to rest on her hips while she stands next to him.

“Oh, I see how it is. Mr. Parker just wanted a ride, isn’t it?” she says, jokingly. Peter stammers, trying to counter that accusation but actually feeling far too nervous to even manage that. “Well, too bad for you; I don’t have a driver’s license, after all.”

“No way, I got mine before you?” Peter asks in confusion. That earns him a glare from the girl and another chuckle coming from Steve.

“Not like I needed a driver’s license in space,” she mutters. If Peter would have been drinking something, he would have spitted it back out right into Steve’s face upon that revelation. _Space_? What is she on about? Steve, too, looks surprised, though clearly not for the same reason Peter is. “Oh yeah, apparently I’m an alien from outer space. Who knew, right?”

Peter shouldn’t be too surprised about it, though. They’ve known there’s alien activity ever since the Chitauri attack back in 2012. Peter had been younger then, watching everything happening through the television with Uncle Ben and Aunt May next to him, holding him tightly as they watched Iron Man carry a nuclear bomb into space.

Wow, his father carried an actual nuke in space. Not many teenagers can say that shit, right?

“Hey, you don’t get to laugh, Capsicle! Best friends with Stark and you can’t even work a simple smartphone? The man would be ashamed!” With that, Yaël points towards the flip-phone lying on the table. Steve once again turns red in the face.

Right, maybe Peter should ask about the alien thing later. That’s probably for the best.

“Well, uh, we should probably get a cab now, then. Who knows how crowded the roads will be?” Peter suggests. Yaël nods and heads towards her own bag, fishing out her wallet and checking if she still has cash. Peter quickly notices there aren’t many cards in there.

“Alright, let’s go. Steve, you’re staying over tonight?” she asks. Steve hesitates.

“Do you need me to? I wouldn’t mind, but there’s still someone who needs me at the compound,” Steve says. Peter doesn’t need to guess to know who he’s talking about. As far as he can make out, Mr. Stark isn’t doing so well at the moment.

“No, it’s fine. You just go, lover-boy,” Yaël teases him, and much to Peter’s surprise, Cap actually blushes at that.

Huh, maybe it’s not about Mr. Stark? Maybe Cap _actually_ has someone there who he wants to spend time with. He should ask Yaël, since she seems to know much about him.

The three of them walk out of the apartment in a good silence. Once outside, Steve takes his motorcycle – Peter remembers driving along with him a while back – and nods towards the two others.

“Alright, take care, you two. Peter, good luck. Don’t be too nervous, Tony’s not mean,” he says with a wink.

“Thank you, Steve,” Peter says, only remembering in time not to say ‘Mr. Rogers’. Then Steve starts driving again, leaving the two of them to wait for a cab. Peter casts a short look towards Yaël and snorts. “So, you’re hungover?”

“What?” Yaël asks, suddenly pulled away from whatever train of thought she was in. “Pffrt, no way! I’m fine.”

“And you’re an alien,” Peter adds to that, dryly.

“Yeah, apparently so. Though nobody wants to tell me where I’m from or how I got to be here,” Yaël complains. “It’s so frustrating, I can’t remember anything, and everybody who knows just simply refuses to say anything!”

Peter feels for her. He wishes he could help, but he can’t really do anything here. So he doesn’t answer. Nothing is said as they hold up their hands to stop a taxi, only to have it drive them by. There’s already somebody inside, Peter quickly notes. Better to just wait for the next one, then.

“Oh, crap. I remember, taxi-drivers are crazy here,” Yaël mutters. Peter snorts.

“Eh, most of them are alright. You just need to be lucky,” he shrugs. Just as he finishes his sentence, a taxi comes to a screeching halt in front of them, revealing none other than freaking _Wade_ inside. Sigh, this guy is going to keep on popping up from everywhere, is he?

“How did you even know we needed a cab?” Yaël asks in confusion as she steps inside.

“I didn’t! I got someone chasing after me, but I saw you two holding out your hands like idiots so I figured you could use the drive. Come, come and follow me into my absolutely safe adventure. If you’re lucky, you might get to see an angry mutated wolverine, but don’t worry, he’s almost harmless!”

Peter rolls his eyes. He has no intention getting into that car. They’ll only end up dead, one way or another. That, or worse; he could _miss_ his interview at Stark’s.

Oh, okay, _Hermione_! Maybe he should get his priorities straight here for a second.

“C’mon, we’re losing time,” Yaël says, pulling Peter inside the car. “We need to get to Stark Industries.”

Once they’re inside, Peter quickly straps on the seatbelt, preparing himself for the craziest ride of his life. When he looks next to him, he can notice a figure appearing from around the corner.

 _Crap_ , that’s Wolverine!

“So, you’re finally talking to your daddy? Sounds amazing!” Wade says, unworried about it all. Without warning, he starts up the car and starts driving. In the first five seconds, he already manages to break five traffic laws. He’s going to fast, sometimes ends up driving on the left side of the road, and doesn’t let passengers cross the road. He’s gotten through three red lights, smashed a hot dog stand, and ended up having five police-cars behind him. It takes them twenty freaking minutes to get there, due to Wade wanting to get the cops off his track.

“You crazy son of a-,” Peter mutters the moment they’re only minutes away from Stark industries, hands onto his stomach as he prepares himself to lose all the contents. Before he can finish his sentence, a loud scream is heard coming from Wade, and then the sound of some sort of blade. When Peter looks up, he sees one of Wolverine’s claws through the roof of the car, two of them buried deep into Wade’s skull.

Ah, well, at least for an hour people will be rid of the annoying Deadpool, Peter figures. But that doesn’t remove the fact that, right now, nobody’s driving.

“Crap!” Peter shouts. Quickly he scrambles towards to front seat, leaning to the left to grab the steering wheel in an attempt to avoid driving people over. _Why did we even get in this car?_

“Peter, watch out!” Yaël suddenly shouts, pointing towards something on the road. When Peter looks up, he realizes too late that there’s an old lady crossing the road. The only way of avoiding her is to crash the car, meaning that they could end up wounded. Peter really doesn’t want to end up at the interview all bloody.

With one hand removed from the steering wheel, Peter lifts Wade’s leg to get his foot off the accelerator, only to move it back onto the brake. Then he breaks open the windows, and starts shooting web around like crazy.

Maybe they don’t need to crash, after all. For a moment, he had actually forgotten that he’s Spider-man.

It hurts a lot, having to stop the car in such a short amount of time. His muscles strain from the pressure, and Peter ends up gritting his teeth as he slowly feels the webs slipping from his hands.

“Shit!” Peter shouts, releasing everything when he realizes he won’t be in time at all. With a sharp movement, Peter tugs at the steering wheel, making the car turn with loud, screeching wheels. The figure that is Wolverine literally flies off the roof, landing onto the street, while the car seems to lose its contact with the ground.

“Hold tight, we’re gonna crash!” Peter warns Yaël, who nods at him and holds herself tightly to whatever she can grab. Peter, with his quick reflexes, still manages to put on his seatbelt as they’re flying in the air. Through his window, Peter can see how they’re right above the old lady, who seems unbothered about it all.

The moment they touch down, glass seems to come from everywhere. Peter feels it cutting into his skin, leaving marks into places they shouldn’t be. There’s noise everywhere as the car slides forward, the roof scraping onto the asphalt, creating sparks everywhere.

It must be minutes when the car finally stops moving. With a groan, both Peter and Yaël start to remove themselves from their seats. While the two of them still have powers, they’re still vulnerable as any other person, meaning that trying to move still hurts like _hell_.

There are people surrounding the wreck that was once their car, looking worried and taking pictures. Some of them seem to be making phone calls, while others finally decide to help Peter and Yaël out of the wreck.

“Thanks,” Peter breathes out, ending up in another coughing fit due to the sudden excitement. Then he looks up, eyes going wide.

Huh, they’re standing right in front of Stark Industries… The universe must be shitting with him here.

“Go to the interview! I’ll see you in the lobby after I get Wade out of there!” Yaël tells him. Peter nods, but before he can run off, the girl reaches out for him to make him look as presentable again as possible. “Your suit is showing,” she also warns him as she buttons his collar back up.

“Thanks,” Peter says, grateful that she corrected that part. Then after another nod, Peter runs away through the crowd, making his way to the entrance of Stark tower. He’s probably the only one getting inside, while everybody’s running out to check and see what’s going on in the streets. Slightly out of breath and feeling like he’s about ready to just fall down, Peter runs towards the reception, where he’s not surprised to see this _Lincoln_ again.

Right, the guy that gave Peter his number.

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” the guy asks, mouth having fallen open.

“Uh, that’s a long story,” Peter says, trying to wave the question away. “I’m here to see Mr. Stark?”

Lincoln raises his eyebrow at him, but before he can pick up the phone to place the call, the elevator dings open, revealing no-one other than Tony Stark himself.

As it turns out, even Mr. Stark has gotten curious as to what the ruckus has been outside of his tower. Still neatly in the suit (not the Iron Man suit, though), the billionaire starts walking towards the exits until he sees Peter standing there, looking the way he does with cuts and bruises all over his face.

“Don’t tell me you were in that crash?” Mr. Stark asks. Peter just chuckles lightly, despite not really feeling happy about it.

“Cab-drivers are crazy, these days,” is all Peter says. Mr. Stark just gives him a long look before sighing and nodding back towards the elevator. Peter nods as well, straightening his shirt a bit and throwing Lincoln a nervous glance. The guy holds his thumbs up.

Okay, so the guy might be interested in ways Peter isn’t, but he’s still an okay-dude. Maybe they _should_ hang out, though strictly only as friends, of course.

There’s an awkward silence the moment the elevator-door closes in front of them. Mr. Stark pushes the second-to-last-highest button on the pad to get towards his office, but doesn’t start to speak at all. Peter is aware that the man is looking at him curiously, taking in his messy look.

After a deep intake of breath, something is finally said.

“You should have those cuts cleaned,” Mr. Stark says. Peter nods nervously. When the elevator _dings_ , the doors slide open and Peter is brought into the familiar hallway that leads to Mr. Stark’s office. This time, the assistant isn’t sitting at her desk in the front.

Mr. Stark points towards his chair, and Peter swallows before nodding. Then he sits down on his assigned seat, remembering how comfortable the chair had been last time, too. This is certainly a chair he could get used to, he figures.

“So, it seems you’ve made your mind about the direction you were wanting to go?” Mr. Stark asks while he, too, sits himself down on his chair. Then he leans his chin onto his hands, while his elbows are resting on the desk. Peter simply nods again, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Yes, sir,” he then says, figuring he should at least try to talk a little. He notices Mr. Stark look straight at him, seeming worried. When Peter tries to look away, he suddenly notices something on the man’s right hand.

Oh, this must be why he wasn’t at the last Goblin-fight. Mr. Stark has his fingers bandaged together. In one way or another, he must probably have broken them. Letting him stay behind surely must have been Cap’s idea, then.

Mr. Stark just stares at him for a little while longer, but then he lets out a breath and just shakes his head.

“Okay, kid, I can’t stand this sight any longer,” he says, and then he lowers his healthy hand back on the desk. “FRIDAY, can you call up Mrs. Terrence? Tell her to bring some antiseptic and bandages for multiple cut-wounds.”

“ _Alright, sir,”_ a voice says, seeming to come from the ceiling. Peter has heard of FRIDAY, so he’s not too worried about the sudden appearance of the voice.

“Thank you,” Mr. Stark returns, before shaking his head. Peter bites his lip a bit harder, trying to look everywhere but at the man in front of him – his _father,_ his mind feels obliged to remind himself. “Now, let’s get started.”

Mr. Stark asks questions. A lot of them, mostly about hypothetical situations and how Peter would act in them. Somewhere in the beginning of the interview, the woman called Rosaly Terrence starts cleaning up his wounds while the two keep on talking. After ten minutes, she leaves again.

Sometimes Mr. Stark asks him tricky questions, but so far Peter doesn’t seem to fall for them. When Peter is asked if he has a portfolio, the boy swallows before shrugging.

“I suppose I only have one thing worth mentioning,” he says before he can think better of it. But the moment the words are out of his mouth, Mr. Stark’s interests are peaked. It’s too late. Quickly, Peter clears his throat and looks back down at his wrist. Without trying to be too obvious about it, he takes off the web-shooters while reaching for his bag.

Then, after pretending to be searching for a few seconds, Peter pulls out the two watch-like creations and holds them out to Mr. Stark.

“And what is this?” the man asks curiously, taking the two things in his hands and observing them deeply.

“Uh, they’re recreations of Spider-Man’s web-shooters,” Peter says nervously. “I was kind of interested in how they worked, so I figured out a way to make them myself. Of course, I don’t have much use for them since I’m not super athletic and all and I can’t crawl on walls or whatever…”

Okay, he should stop rambling.

“How do they work?” Mr Stark asks, putting one of the watches around his wrist while giving it another short look. Then, without giving Peter the chance to answer, he holds out his hand and presses the right button that shoots a few short bursts of webs.

Mr. Stark laughs as he presses the button once more, though a little longer. This time, there’s a longer string of the web, and before it flies away Mr. Stark grabs a hold of it. The web is attached to the wall, so Mr. Stark gives it a good pull to check if it would break.

 _That thing can carry my weight without trouble, of course that won’t break_ , Peter thinks to himself, but keeping his mouth shut wisely.

“Pretty impressive, Mr. Parker,” Mr. Stark says, pulling the bracelet off again before handing it back to Peter. “How long did it take you to make these?”

“Eh, about a day,” Peter shrugs. It had been a long day, of course, but lots and lots of experimenting surely makes the time move faster. Peter had been enjoying himself in trying out formula after formula to recreate a perfect and sturdy web.

“A day, huh?” Mr. Stark watches how Peter puts the shooters back into his bag before leaning forward on his desk a bit. “Anything else you’ve created?”

“Uh,” Peter gets out, thinking back of what he’s made in the past. “I made an automatic lock on my door that I can control with my computer?” he tries, but then he tries to search a bit further. “My Uncle and I, we used to fix up his car a few times. Or I upgraded a friend’s computer once after it kept on crashing.”

Okay, now he’s really searching for it. He understands that the man before him build his first robot when he was even younger than Peter now is, so this all probably doesn’t sound impressive at all.

“One time I added boosters to my skateboard to go faster. I ended up breaking my arm,” Peter finishes, looking back down at his hands after that.

Mr. Stark gives him another long look before standing up. Then he motions for Peter to do the same. Peter obeys, quickly following his father towards a door Peter hadn’t noticed before. The room inside of it is dark, but once Mr. Stark starts up the lights, Peter can see exactly where he is.

This is the room where Mr. Stark keeps all of his armors.

“Holy cow,” Peter mutters, taking in the multiple armors standing on display behind glass, lights shining on them.

“Follow me,” Mr. Stark instructs once again. Peter sees how the man is slowly making his way towards his work bench, where something that looks an awful lot like the Iron man gauntlet is lying on the wooden table. “Now, Mr. Parker. Last time I was on the field, my repulsor failed and I missed a shot. I’ve already looked at the problem, but haven’t taken care of it yet.” With that, Mr. Stark holds up his wounded hand and just shrugs.

Peter can already feel what’s coming for him.

“What I want to ask of you is to take a good look at the gauntlet to figure out what exactly is wrong with it.”

Peter’s eyes open up wide, looking back up at the man that is his father, standing in front of him. He doesn’t know if he can do what Mr. Stark is expecting of him; he has no idea how repulsor energy works, after all. Sure, he’s able to get a grasp on any technology he comes across with if he puts a bit of effort in it, but in a matter of minutes? Peter’s not sure he can manage that…

“Just take your time, Peter. You can even sit down, take a look at the documents. When you’ve found it, just come back to me and we’ll look it over,” Mr. Stark says, putting his healthy hand on Peter’s shoulder and squeezing it shortly before starting to walk out of the room to give Peter a bit of privacy.

 _Crap, and Yaël is waiting outside for me…_ But, Peter’s sure she’ll understand. It’s about getting to know his _father_ , after all. This was all her idea to begin with.

So, with that, Peter gives the gauntlet a first look.

“Uh, might have to remove the metal plates first,” Peter mutters to himself, but giving it a long look, he figures he doesn’t really have any idea how to do that. Maybe he needs to randomly press buttons? But then again, Mr. Stark did say that the thing didn’t work anymore, so it might not open up at all.

“ _Do you need any assistance, Mr. Parker?”_ the voice of FRIDAY suddenly calls out, and in his surprise Peter drops the gauntlet back on the ground and almost jumps off his seat. Oh, right, it’s the AI that always helps Mr. Stark around.

“Uh, I’m just wondering how I’ll get to open this thing,” Peter mutters, taking the gauntlet from the floor to see if there’s any damage. Of course, Mr. Stark wouldn’t invent crap, so that drop wouldn’t leave a dent in the metal.

“ _Underneath the wrist, there’s a hidden lever. You’ll need to push it, and then pull it,”_ Friday explains calmly. Peter shudders a bit at the idea that, even though she sounds extremely human, she’s still a program designed by Mr. Stark.

Following her explanations, Peter finds the lever and does as she told him. Almost immediately, the gauntlet opens up, revealing the complicated structure underneath it. Peter shakes his head, wondering how he’ll ever figure this out.

“Is there anything else I need to know to figure this out?” Peter asks. FRIDAY stays quiet, probably instructed by Mr. Stark not to help any further. Peter then just sighs and takes another look at the gauntlet.

Should he…? He knows he wants to try it, but what if Mr. Stark comes in and sees him?

Ah, what the hell? Without further hesitation, Peter puts his hand into the open space inside the gauntlet, surprised when it closes again around him, fitting him perfectly somehow. As Peter moves around with it, he realizes that it sits very comfortable, as well. There’s nothing poking him in the skin, or making it difficult to move his fingers. It’s almost as if he’s not wearing anything at all.

“Now, I wonder what makes you tick,” Peter mutters, turning back around to look at the desk. There he sees some sort of round device, with wires lying in the direction where the gauntlet had been. Huh, that must be the power source, right? Peter finds the lever again and opens up the gauntlet once more before taking the blueprints of the gauntlet that Mr. Stark left behind for him. What better way to find out how the thing ticks?

Peter compares everything he sees on the pieces of paper with whatever he finds in the gauntlet. Every little screw – not that there are many – or cable inside, he searches through it all to find anything that might indicate that there’s something wrong. But even with the limited knowledge he has on electrical engineering, Peter quickly comes to find that there’s nothing wrong with it, really.

“So, if it isn’t the gauntlet, maybe it’s the power source?” Peter mutters again to himself, looking back at the round thing on the table that Peter suspects is what brought the power. It reminds him a bit of the round thing Iron Man has in the middle of his chest. It doesn’t take long for him to put two and two together, then.

Gently, Peter attaches the cables to where they’re supposed to be connected, waiting for some sort of spark or whatever, but glad to see there’s nothing starting to burn. Then Peter takes a deep breath and takes the round device in his hand.

“Now where are your blueprints?” Peter mutters out loud, hoping that the question will cause for FRIDAY to help him out again. When there doesn’t come any answer, Peter just shrugs and starts going through different drawers to see if he finds anything.

Once he gets to a folder with ‘Miniature Arc Reactor’ written on it, Peter finds something familiar in the name. He picks out the folder, takes a look at the papers, and eventually finds some documents that explain to him a bit better what this device is.

It _is_ some sort of battery, Peter finds. It works on complete clean energy, and it’s almost limitless. Though, clearly, something is not alright with it, since the thing isn’t glowing at all the way it’s supposed to. Finding himself a screw, Peter starts to loosen the top plate to have a look at what’s inside.

It takes another half hour for him to work on it. He feels sorry for Yaël, who’s still waiting for him downstairs. He’ll make it up to her, that he swears to himself. Eventually, after a lot of sweat and swearing, Peter manages to fix something together on the Arc Reactor. In any way, it starts glowing again in that bright blue color, meaning that at least he did _something_ right.

Peter then opens up the gauntlet again, putting his hand inside and holding his arm up. Then, with his left hand, Peter searches a bit for the switch on the arc reactor, suddenly hearing that familiar sound of the repulsor loading.

 _Crap, time to turn it off again!_ Peter tries to dial the switch back down, but it seems like he’s too late. Quickly turning to somewhere there isn’t any glass, a blast of energy escapes from the gauntlet, hitting the wall with a loud noise. From the sudden shock, Peter is once again thrown from his seat, finding himself on the floor again, looking up to find dust filling the room.

Okay… He made a hole in the wall… He can probably kiss that internship goodbye now.

It’s almost comical how Mr. Stark suddenly appears at the doorway, looking at Peter lying on the ground with his arm still raised to the destruction he accidentally caused with an eyebrow raised up high. He stays quiet for a moment, scratching the back of his head while biting his lip, while Peter just prepares himself to be thrown out of the building any second now.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to actually _fix_ it,” Mr. Stark suddenly says, laughing a bit before walking back towards Peter and holding out his hand. “Now, get up. I want to see what you’ve done with it.”

“Bu-but Mr. Stark! Your wall! I’m so sorry!” Peter stammers out the moment he’s back on his feet. Mr. Stark then just flips the comment away, scoffing at the thought. He nods back towards his office and leaving the place of destruction behind.

“FRIDAY, call the cleaning crew,” Mr. Stark says. The AI affirms, and after that, Mr. Stark points back at the chair Peter had been sitting on. Unaware that he’s still holding the gauntlet and the arc reactor, Peter sits down and bites his lip some more.

 _Crap crap crap crap_!

“Show me that thing,” Mr. Stark says, pointing towards the gauntlet and the arc reactor. Peter obeys and hands it to him, dropping it back down on the desk and fidgeting his fingers together the moment they were freed from the mechanical glove.

Mr. Stark observes the gauntlet at first, but then nods.

“You didn’t change anything here, right?”

Peter shakes his head. Mr. Stark then puts the gauntlet down and reaches for the reactor instead.

“I must say, I only expected you would come to me to say that there was something wrong with the arc reactor. I’m surprised you actually managed to fix it,” Mr. Stark says, sounding impressed. Peter feels his face flush red, but he tries not to let it show too much.

“Actually, it was a lot less complicated than it looked,” Peter says, trying not to make too much of a big deal out of it. Mr. Stark raises another eyebrow and then puts the reactor down again.

“Then how is it that even the best scientists that have been working for Stark Industries can’t recreate this device even _with_ the blueprints?” he asks. Peter’s mouth falls open, any attempt to answer that gone as the breath escapes from his lungs.

Surely, the Arc Reactor can’t be _that_ complicated? Sur, Peter has limited knowledge on how the thing works, but given a bit of time he managed to find some sort of beginning to base himself on. Besides, the technology is _there_ , right? It can’t be that impossible to find out?

 _Just face it, Peter. You know it’s because you’re actually a Stark_ , a voice inside his head says. Peter bites his lips closely together to keep his mouth shut.

“You can go downstairs and get yourself a badge. If you give me your school-hours, my assistant will work out some sort of schedule for you to be here, which I’ll send to you through mail. On the first day, you will be given the tour, but after that you’re expected to start working alongside the other creators.”

Mr. Stark keeps on talking while he starts to fill in some documents.

“You ready, FRIDAY?”

“ _I have put it all in the database, sir,”_ FRIDAY answers. Mr. Stark nods and then hands Peter his papers.

“Now give me your school schedule.”

Peter picks up his bag to put the papers away. After that, he fishes out the copy of his schedule that he made in the library earlier. He gives it a short look before handing it to Mr. Stark. The man doesn’t take it from him, instead pointing towards the desk in a motion that he should just put it there.

Then another piece of paper comes out of the printer. Mr. Stark takes it out, gives it a quick once-over before shoving it back towards Peter.

“Don’t lose this, it indicates that you have clearance to the top floors. Just hand this to the receptionist downstairs and he’ll make sure your badge is changed accordingly.” Peter then thinks back of Lincoln downstairs.

“That’ll be all, Mr. Parker,” Mr. Stark then says. Peter nods shortly before pulling all his stuff back together. The papers he can’t lose he keeps in his hands, with the idea of getting all of this in order with the receptionist downstairs.

“Th-thank you, Mr. Stark,” Peter says, bowing his head a bit while he shows his gratitude. Mr. Stark just gives him a long look before standing up. Then he holds out his hand for Peter to shake, which he does.

“Stop being so nervous, I’m not going to eat you,” Mr. Stark then says, jokingly. Peter laughs quickly before nodding again.

“I’m looking forward to be working here,” he admits, silently a bit proud that he made the cut. Though he has no idea if he made _that_ cut. Is he ever going to work alongside Mr. Stark this upcoming internship?

“We’ll see each other soon,” Mr. Stark says. When somebody knocks on the door, the man lets go of Peter’s hand and takes a step back. “Yes?”

In comes Mr. Stark’s new assistant – Peter has failed to get her name before. She’s a tall, blonde woman, dressed in a tight black skirt and a loose white top. When Peter takes a look at her heels, he wonders if that could even be comfortable to stand in.

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers is here, said he wanted to talk with you,” the woman says, keeping her hand on the door-handle. Mr. Stark nods and waves at her that she can go, which she does without another word. Quickly after that, the door opens again, revealing none other than Steve Rogers.

Well, that must be Peter’s cue to leave, right? He holds the bag on his shoulder a bit tighter before clearing his throat.

“Alright, I must be going now,” Peter says, but he notices quickly that he’s lost the attention of Mr. Stark, who looks at Steve with what looks like an angry expression.

“What are you doing here, Rogers?” Mr. Stark asks, sounding bitter. Peter figures he’ll just have to walk out without getting a goodbye. It’s fine, it’s not like he’d expected Mr. Stark to be the most respectful man in the world.

“There’s something we need to discuss, Tony,” Steve says, holding up a small black box in his hands, which looks a lot like a medication-container to Peter. When he notices Peter slowly walking away, the super soldier gives him a wide smile. “Ah, you’re still here? How did it go?”

Peter doesn’t speak, only holds out his thumb to say it went well, and then he waves at them quickly. Once again, there’s no response from Mr. Stark, who seems to be getting more annoyed by Cap’s presence.

At least the two men wait to speak until Peter’s out of the door. When Peter sees that the assistant is not nearby, Peter decides to wait for a little moment. He knows it’s not his place, but he finds himself mighty curious.

 _“You forgot your box – AGAIN,”_ Peter hears Cap say.

“ _Maybe there’s a reason for that?”_

_“Which is?”_

_“Maybe I don’t_ need _them?”_

_“Tony, you know you’re not alright. That’s why you agreed to get help again. If your doctor tells you to take meds, you should-“_

_“I should what, Rogers? Be dependent of pills again? Because of a stupid setback?”_

_“A major depression is not a stupid setback, Tony!”_

Peter wants to hear more, but he startles when he hears footsteps coming up behind him. Quickly he pulls away from the door, trying to pretend like he hasn’t been listening in at the two men. The woman doesn’t even look up when Peter walks by.

It’s probably best he doesn’t hear what’s said next. With grim thought, Peter looks back down at his clock, finding that he’s been up here for at least an hour and half. He should get moving.

Besides, he’s got stuff that needs to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about engineering. My knowlegde mostly just goes to music and hospitals, and what I know about technology is limited to how not to break my computer. That said, I did all the research I could on Arc Reactor technology, and I didn't understand a single thing of whatever speculation was put online about it - since it literally DOESN'T exist, I didn't have much to go on. So I'm keeping the engineering scenes conciously vague on this matter.  
> Also, in the other story, Yaël (the original character) is going to be good friends with Steve (nothing more than that, of course!). That friendship will sometimes be hinted into this story, but I won't put it too much into detail here. She's getting her own story (with Loki), and her origins and troubles will be further worked out there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, there will be an explanation part that will clarify what exactly happened to Peter before the story started. There will be strong elements from ASM 1&2\. Because Ned wasn't originally in the story but I really wanted him in it, he's finally introduced! Welcome Ned!  
> I also needed Dum-E, because Dum-E is life! And kind of Peter's brother. Life is strange!

Four weeks.

That’s how long Peter has been here now, working at Stark Industries as an intern. Supposedly, as one of the few that is honored with the chance to work alongside Mister Tony Stark himself, which is a big deal, as it turns out.

Of course, that would have mattered had the guy actually _been there_.

Okay, so the first week, Peter thought it was normal; sure, the guy might be abroad to take care of some business. Or maybe there’s some Avengers-business to take care of? Some evil bad guy far away that they need to take care of, first.

The second week, Peter figured he just hadn’t returned.

It’s around half through the third week that Pepper Potts actually came up to find Mr. Stark, only to see that he _wasn’t there_ , and that’s when Peter figured out that the man wasn’t on a business-trip somewhere; he was just simply not showing up for work.

Sure, the man he gets to work with, Francis Farez, isn’t too bad of a guy; he gave Peter the whole tour of the building, introduced him to who-ever he’s supposed to know and all, and even gave Peter the honor of having Dum-E as his sidekick. At first, Peter thought it was awesome to have Mr. Stark’s very first created robot to help him through it.

Now he quickly understands how it got its name.

On the fourth week, Peter handed in the first initial ideas he’s been working on in between helping Francis, only to find that, once again, Mr. Stark _isn’t_ there.

Peter has enough of it. At first, he’s spending all his time in classes he’s quickly figuring out he’s too smart for, barely having any time for a break since he’s got to get to Stark Industries the moment he’s finished with school. There’s barely even time for him to patrol around as Spider-Man these days, since he often forgets himself and stays at SI long past his working hours.

The only freaking reason he’s going for this stupid internship is to be _with_ Stark.  

“The moment he returns, I’ll give him a piece of my mind, right Dum-E?” Peter mutters as he fumbles around with two screwdrivers, tightening two metal plates together for current project.

Dum-E whirs up as he points his camera towards Peter, turning his claw a bit to the side like a dog would. Peter gives it a gentle pat on his ‘neck’.

“I’ll be like; ‘hey, man, I only came here to get to know my father, but the moment I arrive here, he’s not even there,’ and he’ll be like ‘huuh?’ and that’s how he’ll figure it out.”

Dum-E turns his head a bit to the side again, opening up his claw and grabbing Peter by his shirt.

“Nah, you’re right. That’s surely not the best way to tell him. After all, he’ll probably not even believe me, right?”

Dum-E lets go of his shirt again before grabbing a napkin to dab on Peter’s forehead, even though he’s not sweating at all. Peter just lets him do it, knowing that mentioning it to the bot won’t make a difference at all.

“Yo Peter.”

Peter looks up, seeing Francis standing there at the door. He’s a thirty-something year old man with darkened skin and dark brown curls, with deep brown eyes hidden behind two round glasses. He looks like the typical nerd combined with stylish superstar, mostly wearing suits and carrying around expensive watches and a wedding ring that looks the exact opposite of cheap.

“Hey, Francis, what’s up?” Peter asks, dropping the screwdrivers upon seeing the inventor in front of him. Francis is by far not the smartest guy on the floor – that’s difficult with Stark running around – but he’s the one assigned to take care of the interns, being good with the youth. That’s probably because he mostly behaves like he’s a teenager as well, always carrying his expensive backpack on one shoulder, listening to his music with his Stark-made wireless headphones and being pretty handy with the latest edition of every Stark-Phone – courtesy of Mr. Stark, who lets his employees test them out to find if they’re user-friendly.

Even now he’s standing there, leaning against the wall with his bag over his shoulder, with one coffee in his hand and the other one pulling his headphones back down.

“You’re still here? It’s past eight now, you can go home,” Francis says. It’s not the first time he comes with this news; this past week, Peter has been reminded three times already that his working hours are over. “I know Mr. Stark is generous, but while he pays for over-hours for the employees, he’s rather limited with how much interns can earn.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be out as soon as I finish here,” Peter says, waving him off. Francis is cool, of course, but Peter’s one of those guys who rather works alone – or in the company of a rather incompetent bot, as it turns out. “Dum-E, please hand me a marker?”

Dum-E whirls around on his wheels before rolling away. Peter keeps his hand held out as he waits for him, while in the meantime Francis walks towards the desk. When he looks down, he whistles, impressed.

“Wow, kid. You’re probably the bravest intern I’ve ever seen, trying to take on the _arc reactor_ on your own?”

It’s been a pet-project of his. After finishing his self-made Bluetooth Mp3-player, Peter has put aside everything else to fish out the blueprints for the Arc Reactor and try to build it on his own. So far, he’s only barely managed to figure out how it all works, but he finds it easier and easier to understand the more he looks at it.

FRIDAY has given him a hard time about it the moment she figured out what he was doing, telling him that he shouldn’t try to recreate it without Mr. Stark’s consent. Though, after one day already she suddenly stopped giving him grief about it, and Peter likes to imagine that it’s Mr. Stark himself who told her to leave him be.

In reality, he knows the AI probably suspects he won’t succeed at all.

“ _I have informed Mr. Parker multiple times that any attempts have thus far failed by anybody here, but he seems insistent,”_ FRIDAY adds, making Francis look up, much like everybody does whenever FRIDAY speaks out. It’s not often that she makes an ‘appearance’ in Stark Industries when Mr. Stark isn’t around, but somehow she seems to be following Peter around.

Not that he minds, he seems to find her a good conversation-partner, despite the fact that she often doesn’t respond to his stupid jokes.

“You know, the arc reactor has been created by Howard Stark and another inventor called Anton Vanko back in the time? Thus far, only their sons have managed to build this thing – even in the freaking miniatured-version, as if the actual reactor wasn’t impossible enough!” Francis calls out, trying to once more take on his teaching-role as an instructor.

Peter looks up, having never really heard the name _Vanko_ before. Then he tilts his head to the side, thinking back of when he was much younger, reading the news-paper about a Russian using Stark-technology and ruining the Stark Expo after it barely got opened. The one day Aunt May and Uncle Ben decide to take him there to see his idol, and a crazy Russian maniac comes to ruin all the fun!

“You mean that whiplash-guy? He’s the son of the man that helped invent the arc-reactor?” Peter asks, dropping down his hand when he figures that Dum-E isn’t back yet. Francis just shrugs.

“Yeah, that was him. Mrs. Potts almost resigned after that, did you know?” Francis laughs as he drops the cup of coffee on Peter’s workbench and puts his hands in his pockets. “I think their relationship is mainly the reason why she decided to stay, after all.”

“I heard they broke up?” Peter tries, in an attempt to find out a bit more. Francis only sighs.

“Yeah, it’s probably the reason why we aren’t seeing so much of Mr. Stark lately. He took it pretty hard, as far as I heard. They _have_ been together for quite a few years, after all. I don’t really know the details of their break-up, though.”

“ _And that’ll surely stay that way, Mr. Farez,”_ FRIDAY adds, and Francis laughs before shaking his head while looking down.

“Yeah, thanks for that, FRIDAY,” Francis mutters. Then Peter hears Dum-E roll back towards him, so the teenager holds out his hand back behind him, expecting the bot to hand him his marker.

When he gets something sticky and wet in return, Peter lets out a soft shout and pulls his arm back. Looking behind him, he finds Dum-E carrying a banana instead of a marker.

“Dum-E! You idiot, I said a _marker_ , not a freaking _banana_! Seriously, how has Mr. Stark not donated you to a local high school already? I’m going to have words with him, and I’ll make sure it won’t by my school you’re donated to, mark my words!” Peter rambles on, drying off his hand on his already ruined jeans. Dum-E only responds by pushing the banana back in Peter’s reaction. With a sigh, he rolls his eyes only to take the half-peeled banana from him.

In a way, Dum-E is just taking care of him, being a big brother as much as he can.

When Peter looks back up, he finds Francis inspecting the two of them with a strange look, eyes glancing from Dum-E to Peter time after time.

“What?” Peter asks, and Francis just shrugs before pointing towards him.

“You know, you and Stark have a lot in common,” he says, then gesturing his finger in Dum-E’s way. “He keeps on threatening to sell this guy to schools as well. Though everybody knows he won’t do that. I’m surprised even that you manage to keep working with him. Other interns spent one hour with him only to request another partner.”

Peter turns to observe Dum-E next to him. The bot has his camera pointed at Peter, watching as he slowly but surely eats the banana. After that, he opens up his claw and grabs Peter by the shirt again.

“He’s a handful, yeah, but we take care of each other,” he then says, petting Dum-E on the head for a moment before thinking better of it. Dum-E just whirs as he tries to get closer.

“Good that he can make himself useful after all. Anyway, I’m off, got a hot date with the missus, after all,” Francis says, picking up his cup of coffee again and making his way back towards the door.

“Is it an actual date? Or is it going to stay inside the walls of the bedroom?” Peter jokes, and as a response, Francis bursts out laughing even harder before waving Peter off. Then he’s gone, leaving Peter alone again in the work-room with Dum-E already pulling away from him to hurry towards the fridge once more.

“FRIDAY?” Peter asks, expecting no answer at all.

“ _Yes, Master Parker?_ ” FRIDAY responds anyway.

“Is Mr. Stark in the tower today?”

“ _I’m afraid Mr. Stark is not here at the moment. Do you wish for me to pass along a message, maybe?”_

Peter thinks for a moment, looking down at the arc reactor but then thinking better of it. He wants it to be a surprise, after all.

“ _Perhaps about the DNA-results containing yours and Mr. Stark’s relationship?_ ” FRIDAY adds. Peter sits up in surprise, dropping down the banana before managing to finish it. Then he looks up at the ceiling, shaking his head in panic.

“No, no, no, no, absolutely not!” Peter calls out, waving his hands together in another no-signal. “How did you even figure that out?”

“ _You forget that you’ve been talking to Dum-E about it, and seeing as I hear everything there’s not much you can keep secret from me,”_ FRIDAY explains. Peter groans and smacks his head on the workbench, making sure to avoid hitting the arc-reactor.

“So, what, are you obliged to tell him about it because he’s your creator?” Peter asks, already fearing her answer.

“ _No, as much as I have to follow Tony, his instructions are to listen to every_ Stark _that will come around. That includes you, seeing as you’re his son. If you want me to keep this quiet, you have every right to tell me so.”_

Peter huffs, a bit surprised by the sudden news.

“So I have my own override-codes and all?” Peter asks, wondering if he might be searching too far for it.

“ _Mr. Stark does have created a few override-codes only his heirs would be able to use. Of course, he created those long ago and he’s probably forgotten about those. I’ll send them to your cellphone.”_

It’s not even a question, in just a matter of seconds, Peter’s mobile rings and he sees that he’s received a text. In there, indeed, are a whole lot of override-codes, each with the description of what exactly they override.

“I’ll try not to use these, though,” Peter says. He doesn’t want Mr. Stark to notice, after all.

“ _These codes are indeed only to be used in cases of emergencies.”_

Then the conversation falls quiet. A little drama has been averted, and Peter’s secret is once again safe. He slowly picks up the arc reactor again, looking at it in silence as he tries to figure out the next step. Dum-E then hands him a steamy cup of coffee. In the background, he hears his cellphone ring again. Another text-message.

“ _Of course, I do feel obliged to ask how long you intent to keep this information about you and Mr. Stark quiet?”_ FRIDAY suddenly asks, interrupting the calm silence he had been enjoying. Peter shakes his head.

“I’ll figure that out after a while. First I just want to… spend some time with him,” Peter says. “Of course, that would work if he would actually _show up_.”

“ _I would like to make clear, though, that I cannot in any way lie to Tony,”_ FRIDAY suddenly adds in a warning tone. “ _Would he ever ask me directly, I will not hesitate in telling him the truth.”_

Peter swallows, but then nods.

“Duly noted, FRIDAY. All I need to do then is just make sure that he _won’t_ have any reason to ask about it.” Then Peter picks up his cellphone, seeing that he’s gotten multiple messages from Wade – all of them containing nothing other than heart-emojies which he ignores – and one from Yaël.

  * _Friday’s pizza-tradition sucks without you working here. Why again did you quit?_



Peter just snorts and shakes his head. He quit his job there almost immediately after learning that he would be compensated for his work at Stark Industries. Staying there would not only make trouble for the amount of money he would be earning as a teenager, but it would result in not having any single bit of free time anymore.

  * **_You know why. Anyway, doing some patrolling after heading out. Care to join?_**
  * _Nah, probably not a good idea. Did Stark at least show up?_
  * **_No-show, again. By the way, FRIDAY knows now._**
  * _Whoa, how did that happen? She gonna tell? Also, that asshole needs to show his face soon or I’ll stick Steeb to him!_
  * **_I think he and Steve are arguing enough as it is. Also, no, she’s not gonna talk. Perks of being a Stark, she has to listen to me, apparently._**
  * _Sound cool. Wade says hi, by the way. And Wanda wonders when you’ll come over again. It’s been almost two weeks, bro. January is almost over!_
  * **_I’m free on Sunday?_**
  * _Sunday it is! See you then, be at my place at five!_



After that there are no more messages, and Peter puts his phone away again. Then he looks at Dum-E, who points once more at the cup of coffee.

“Yeah, you’re taking care of me, aren’t you?” Peter says with a light smile before picking up the cup. Ever since working at SI, he’s learned to appreciate the taste of coffee more and more, mostly due to Dum-E always making him cups whenever Peter even shows a _little_ sign of how tired he is. “You’re a good big brother.”

Dum-E makes another appreciative sound – strange how he can do that, but not talk – and then he hurries back off to the side, starting to clean up Peter’s workbench a bit more. All the other desks in the room are already empty, the other interns and employees already back at home. Right now, other than him, there’s only one more security guard on this floor.

One more hour, Peter spends on the arc reactor before starting to pack his stuff. He puts the reactor safely away in his desk, along with the blueprints he managed to snatch from Mr. Stark’s workplace. Then he takes his bag, throws it over his shoulder, and waves Dum-E goodbye.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, pal!” Peter says, and Dum-E nods his camera up and down before putting himself on stand-by. One more nod towards the security guard, and Peter is standing in front of the elevator, looking down at his shoes. They look messy, worn almost daily and pretty much ready to be thrown away. Underneath his shirt, Peter feels his suit itching him, as if telling him that it’s time to start patrolling.

Because that’s pretty much all he can do; take care of robberies and muggings on the street. So far, the Avengers have made it perfectly clear that they don’t want him near the _big guys_ yet, as they call him. Too afraid to see him get hurt.

Peter shakes his head, balling his hands into fists as he takes a deep breath.

It’s not so much _him_ that gets hurt. It’s the people around him. In the background, he can hear the guard cracking his knuckles. Peter tries to dim away the sound, not really enjoying the sound of bones cracking. He’s heard enough of that, already.

Instead, he steps into the elevator once it opens up for him, and he takes a deep breath. He doesn’t need to press the button for the ground floor, FRIDAY already doing it for him, instead. Peter looks at the ceiling with a thankful expression before stretching his arms a bit.

The moment he’s outside, Peter’s already back into his uniform, swinging from building to building in just a matter of seconds. His backpack is still over his shoulders, and his eyes are glued to the ground as he inspects everything that is happening here.

There’s no robberies, nor any muggings. Even after half an hour of just wandering around and listening to everything that his happening around him, he finds that there’s not much action at all. He’s about ready to head back home, still, when he suddenly finds a group of teens on the street.

They’re standing in a circle, surrounding another kid in the middle. Even from afar, Peter knows that they’re not just socializing in the friendly way. With a few more swings, he gets himself closer, waiting to listen while sticking to the wall.

“-and I thought it looked good, smart and all, but then she fails me because, _apparently_ , it’s all _one number off_? What trick are you trying to play, Leeds?”

The kid in the middle, a round, dark-skinned boy Peter recognizes from his school, is hunching forward, as if to prepare himself for a blow he’s about to get. He can’t have been in Midtown High for long, only recently transferred from – where-ever it was, Peter doesn’t really know. So far, he hasn’t had any luck in making friends due to his obvious geeky behavior.

“That’s because you should make your homework yourself,” the boy, Ned, says with a shiver in his voice. The bully – Peter doesn’t need long to understand it’s Flash and Eddie – just starts to laugh while he looks at his friends. Though, surely, none of these people actually see Flash as an actual friend. They’re probably just scared of being bullied as well if they aren’t.

“Oh, I should make my homework myself, huh?” Flash asks, and then he moves, punching his hand in Ned’s stomach while grabbing his shirt. The next thing is whispered, but Peter can understand clearly what he’s talking about. “Why don’t you ask one of your superheroes to come and rescue you, huh?”

And that’s enough for Peter. With a soft push, he distances himself from the wall, making sure to land right next to Ned, causing for everybody to take a step back. Flash lets go of Ned, jumping back with a small shout.

Peter ignores him, instead turning towards Ned and punching him on the arm.

“Yo, buddy! I’ve been looking for you all evening! Weren’t we about to watch that Star Wars movie together?”

Ned just stares at him with his mouth fallen open.

“Crap, it’s Spider-Man! We need to bail now!” one of the kids says, quickly running off. The others follow him, except for Flash. Eddie, too, stays behind a little bit, though he keeps a good distance between him and them.

“What’s going on here, are you keeping Ned from hanging out with me?” Peter asks, putting his hands on his hips as he tries to look taller than he is. Like this, he only realizes all the more how much smaller he is in comparison to Flash.

“Uh,” Flash says, unintelligible.

“Dude, that’s not cool. If we miss the movie because of you, you can be certain I’ll come back for you and web your hair into a new style, and it’ll be sticky,” Peter jokes. He’s not a bully, there’s no way he would actually do that. But Flash seems to understand the message enough. He takes another step back while still looking at Peter with what seems like fear and adoration at the same time.

Then he runs off, grabbing Eddie by the shirt and taking him along. Peter watches them go, grinning from underneath his mask. He turns towards Ned, seeing the guy still looking at him with his mouth open. Peter shakes his head, steps forward, and starts to wipe away the dust on his shirt.

“You gonna be okay on your way home?” Peter asks. Ned just stares, but then nods, finally closing his mouth. “Alright, then I’m off. I’ll see you again, Ned!”

Peter doesn’t stay around to hear his reaction. With one quick shot, he’s already back in the air, on his way once more through the streets, in search of anything to do.

Around Midnight, he’s back into bed, having done nothing else more. And as he dreams, his head is filled with lots of Star Wars references, for some reason.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, you’ve never really told me your story.”

“What story?”

“About how you became who you are today? Wade says it’s quite a lot, and I’m finding myself curious, to be honest.”

“Well, it’s not a fun story.”

Peter met Gwen on a Thursday. The schoolyear had only just started, but the teachers had already lots of homework to give. He only just turned fifteen, and Aunt May and Uncle Ben had just bought him a new camera he liked to mess around with. Even during school, he held it on a cord around his neck, ready to take pictures whenever the occasion arose.

Peter knew Gwen for a while, though; he’d seen her, admired her from afar. But they never spoke. He knew that she was about the smartest person in the school; eh, well, next to him, of course. She had long white-blonde hair with a straight fringe above her eyebrows, and her skirts were always accentuated by those knee-socks that had been out of style for a while, but looked just perfect on her.

Peter often had her in his vision, camera ready to take a shot; but he never took it. He was a lot of things, but not a creep.

The day he finally got to talk to Gwen was when Peter decided to help out another kid that was being bullied by Flash during lunch. The guy was tilting the boy up, pressing his face against his plate of pasta as a revenge for not sharing his homework. Peter stood up for him, Flash started to kick his ass, and then she came to save the day, humiliating Flash in front of the entire crowd.

It was safe to say that, if Peter adored her at first, now he literally loved her. Especially when she asked after his health during class, reminding him to take it slow.

The next time they spoke, was at Oscorp’s. Peter had just found some stuff in his dad’s journals, and found himself at the organization in search for more. He got himself in Dr. Connor’s radar, and Gwen, who was touring the group of interns, gave him a chance to stay as long as he kept her out of trouble. After she found him snooping around where he shouldn’t go, she _did_ kick him out, though.

But Peter didn’t mind; he wasn’t feeling too well after all. Not because he got sick or anything, but because his body was slowly changing – the spider had bit him, altering his DNA. The morning after, he practically wrecked his bathroom. He had to control the powers.

And when he did, stupid as he was, he used it to teach Flash a lesson – causing for him to break the basketball ring, and earning himself community service. Uncle Ben was pissed – but not pissed enough to stop embarrassing Peter when Gwen came along to ask if he was expelled.

Embarrassment aside, Peter managed to get himself a date with Gwen. After that, he got to work a bit with Dr. Connors – they were both trying to finish the project Dr. Connors and his dad started. He had been so busy, that he forgot to pick up the phone and remember to pick up his aunt – since Uncle Ben didn’t like her walking around alone in the evening.

Once at home, there had been another fight. Peter ran off, Uncle Ben followed him. Peter didn’t stop a theft in the shop he was at, and said thief ended up shooting his Uncle after he tried to stop him.

Peter had the power to stop the guy, but out of anger towards everybody – including the cashier who didn’t want to help him buy his milk – he didn’t. And his Uncle ended up dead.

They mourned together, but while Aunt May managed to pick up work at the hospital again, Peter found an anger inside himself that he couldn’t contain. He started training on his powers, tried to get to know them. He built his web-shooters, put together a suit with the limited knowledge he had, and set off to search for any criminal that fit the description of his uncle’s murderer.

He never found him in the end. Peter did have that date at Gwen’s, had an embarrassing discussion with Gwen’s dad, and eventually revealed to her who he really was. That evening, it was safe to say that Gwen was officially his girlfriend. It was November.

Meanwhile, Dr. Connors was put in a tight corner, and ended up experimenting on himself. Peter was pulled away into action when the guy caused havoc on the bridge, turned into a lizard. Of course, Peter didn’t know it was Dr. Connors at the time. He couldn’t even catch him since he was trying to pull up a car that still had a kid inside.

Peter tried to keep low as much as possible, only showing glimpses of himself, moving too fast for any camera to capture him. But Dr. Connors eventually found out who he was. After threatening to turn the whole city into lizards – how weird is that? – Peter and Gwen worked together to stop him. Gwen made the antidote, Peter stalled Dr. Connors for as long as he could. He ended up getting shot by a cop, and Gwen’s father eventually found out who he was after pulling away his mask. Peter and Gwen’s dad did get to the top of the tower to confront Dr. Connors. The antidote worked, but Gwen’s dad died, trying to protect Peter.

He only had one request upon dying; to leave Gwen out of it all.

Peter should have listened.

Peter tried to keep his distance, but it took one month for him to realize he couldn’t. He stayed with Gwen, eventually, and for a long while they were together – not extremely happy, since both of them were still grieving, but happy enough.

But Peter started to get slight panic attacks; with each police-car he saw, a vision of Gwen’s father followed him, staring at him in distaste at how he could break his promise like that. Peter lived with it for two months longer, but eventually he couldn’t take it anymore, breaking up with Gwen.

With only one more month of school to go, Peter heard of Harry’s return – the two of them had been best friends back when they were younger. When they went to high school, Harry’s dad sent his son away to boarding school, separating the two friends. Peter hadn’t heard from him, since.

Harry was back as the heir of Oscorp, but only being seventeen years old – he was older than Peter – he was too young to rule. After his father’s death, they had to figure out who would be in charge until Harry was old enough.

Peter and Harry caught up, but Peter wasn’t aware that his friend was sick; the same sickness that had befallen Norman Osborn. The thing that had killed him. They talked about lots of things, Peter told him about Gwen. Meanwhile, at Oscorp, a man called Max Dillon died in a tragic accident. Only, he didn’t die as much as he was reborn. Panicked at his sudden ‘electric’ state, he started wandering around on time’s square. Peter tried to calm him down, but after a while the guy freaked and went crazy.

Peter subdued him, nobody got hurt – except for him, maybe.

While Peter was trying to find out the truth about his dad’s disappearance, Harry came up with the crazy idea that Spider-Man’s blood would be a cure for his illness. After Peter – as Spider-Man – gave him a visit, he quickly refused to give it; there was just too much Peter didn’t know about his blood, and giving it to Harry could be lethal.

Harry got mad, freaked out. He went to find Max, or Electro as he started calling himself, and freed him on the condition that he would deliver Spider-Man to him. Harry then took care of the board-members of his company – not in the fun way, since they all ended up dead – and stumbled upon the special weapon’s department of Oscorp; that was where he found the poison of the spider that bit Peter.

Once injected with it, Harry turned into the Goblin. He took along the flight suit and the glider, and hurried off into the night in search for Peter, who was once more trying to fight off Electro. He had tried to keep Gwen away from it – she always knew how to find the danger – but she had come anyway. She saved his life.

Peter managed to defeat Electro. They thought they were safe.

They weren’t.

The Goblin joined up with them. He grabbed Gwen, flew her up to a bell tower of an old church, and threatened to kill her after realizing who Spider-Man was. Trying to talk him down, the Goblin dropped Gwen anyway. Peter managed to catch her with his web, and he secured her while trying to stop the Goblin.

But the seconds kept on ticking, and eventually, Gwen’s web was cut in two, causing for her to fall. Peter once more shot out for her, but he was too late. Even though his web caught her, she was too low. Her head still smacked against the ground, giving a loud cracking-noise that Peter could hear from even above.

By the time he was downstairs, her heart was only beating very softly. Blood started flowing from her nose, and in his arms, she died.

Somehow, Peter managed to finish his school-year. He didn’t experience it, mostly living in a blur at the thought that Gwen wasn’t there anymore. The school had come together to memorialize her, but Peter hadn’t gone. He had been at Gwen’s grave, instead.

Aunt May realized something was wrong with him two months after Gwen died. Peter had started to avoid places; mostly churches and rooms with clocks. On top of that, he spaced out whenever he saw a police-car. Aunt May begged for him to get some help. He refused.

At first he cried a lot. That was normal during the process of grief. He’d seen his aunt do it, too. It was when he _didn’t_ cry anymore that she started to worry. Peter didn’t seem to feel anything, anymore.

School started again, but Peter couldn’t care any less; what was school without Gwen, anyway? He didn’t skip classes, but he forgot his homework, spaced out during class, and failed his tests. It didn’t matter, after all. He lost weight, stopped doing anything he liked, and ended up having trouble sleeping. Whenever he slept, his dreams were filled with images of what happened at the tower. He mostly woke up screaming and sweaty.

Around October, Aunt May had enough of it. She practically pushed Peter into a psychiatrist’s office, where he got to go for a few sessions. There he was diagnosed with a depression and PTSD. As if he didn’t have enough on his mind…

They prescribed him therapy and lots of medications. Peter ended up going on bi-weekly sessions.

He didn’t know if it was the medication or the sessions, but after a while, things didn’t seem so dark anymore. Sure, sometimes he started spacing out once or twice, but he managed to pick up his life more or less after a while, and wore the suit once again. By the time December was finished, though, he learned that the only way for him to succeed in his school-year was to start an internship to earn extra points.

Peter didn’t see the point; he would fail anyway, so he could better just repeat the year, take it all slow. Right now, he better focused on getting better, after all.

Of course, that one phone-call from Oscorp changed everything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: See end notes

They’ve installed a clock in the room.

Normally, Peter would arrive at his workbench and start up his project, put stuff together and compare these with the blueprints he’s got.

Then, after a while, he would take a small break – a coffee Dum-E would bring him, along with something to eat. He would talk a little bit with the other interns – though ignoring that redheaded MJ-girl who seems to be interning as some sort of reception-girl of this floor.

He would then work some more, until it was time for lunch or dinner. Then he would go to the cafeteria a few floors below, and enjoy a good meal while scanning the whole room in search of Mr. Stark before returning back to his work.

Normally, he would actually manage to _make_ something, but not today.

They’ve installed a clock in the room.

Peter knows it was probably Francis who came up with the idea. An attempt of him to keep Peter from working over day after day for almost five weeks. The guy’s surely just looking out for him, making sure he’s not working too many hours he’s not getting payed for.

But the clock is ticking, and it’s distracting Peter in a bad way.

His hands start to tremble after only an hour of sitting behind his workbench. He stutters whenever he’s trying to ask Dum-E for something. He’s sweating underneath his clothes – he already took off the suit within the first half-hour of being here, feeling too hut underneath it.

His vision is blurry, heart is racing too fast, and his work is not moving forward.

“You okay, Peter?”

Peter doesn’t know who asked the question. All he does is nod and wave away the question, rubbing his forehead as the seconds tick by in his ears.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._

He hears every minute pass by, reminding him of its presence in the room.

At home, he’s already made sure to change all his clocks into digital ones. Aunt May had found it strange, but eventually she, too, seemed to have found the perks of simple clock-reading. At school, it had been easy to drown it out with ear-pieces put in, listening to quiet music while not paying attention. Other clocks only show the hours and minutes, keeping away from the seconds.

He avoids bell-towers, or places where he can hear the seconds ticking by. Luckily, there aren’t too many places like that in New York.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

“Peter do you need a moment outside?”

Peter looks up, seeing Francis standing there. He looks worried, as if he wants to carry Peter outside, himself. Peter just swallows and takes another deep breath. His hands are balled into fists – they have been ever since he dug into his bag in search of his medication, only to find that he doesn’t have the box with him.

That thought, in turn, made him realize that he hasn’t only forgotten the box at home, but the pills in general as well. For the past week, none of the white pearls have been taken. And Peter feels the effect immediately.

“Yeah, I’ll go take a breath,” Peter says, pushing himself up and getting back on his feet. He’s aware that Francis is saying something else, but Peter doesn’t hear it. He just stumbles forward, keeping his hand on the wall as he heads towards the door that will bring him to the roof.

And that’s when he sees him.

Or at least, he thinks he sees him.

_Harry_.

It’s just in a passing; the familiar young but tired face of his previous best friend. Just a glimpse of it, in a small crowd that is walking out of the elevator.

Peter stands still, feeling his face get cold as he watches the boy pass by. Harry – Peter’s almost sure it’s him – hasn’t seen him yet. He’s just walking forward, looking disinterested as he follows the crowd into another room.

But right when ‘Harry’ walks through the door, his head turns a bit, and his eyes meet with Peter’s.

Exactly then, somebody puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder. That causes a reaction inside the boy, who ducks down while grabbing the person by the wrist, turning it around in a hold that must be painful. When he turns around to look the person in his face, he quickly comes to see that it’s one of the other interns with a pained look in his face.

Peter pulls away, letting go of the arm and holding his hands up.

“I’m- I’m sorry! I just… You startled me,” Peter says quickly, stuttering over his words. The teenager just rubs his wrist, hissing upon the contact. Peter’s sure there’ll be bruises on the skin after a little while.

Without saying anything more, Peter jumps into the elevator. He just needs a moment to catch his breath. Leaning against the walls, he rubs his forehead again.

“FRIDAY, can you get me to the roof, please?” he asks.

“ _Perhaps it’s better to seek medical help, Master Parker?”_ FRIDAY suggests, but Peter shakes his head.

“I need some air. The roof will do.” FRIDAY doesn’t protest after that, instead starting up the elevator and bringing him up to a floor that’s not even selectable with the buttons. The only way to get there is probably with FRIDAY.

The moment the elevator opens again, Peter stumbles into the hallway, hurrying himself to the doors that would bring him outside. He notes quickly that it’s a one-way door, but he’s sure FRIDAY will let him back in once he wants to go back.

The roof is small – mostly due to the special design of the tower. If he looks down, he can already see the flying deck from the Avenger’s floor. That floor has by now once again changed into Mr. Stark’s penthouse, of course, since the heroes have relocated to the compound upstate.

Like this, he could easily jump down until he was on Mr. Stark’s floor. Of course, he knows he’s not going to. Instead, he sits down on the edge, swinging his feet down and lying back down on the ground. His eyes are open, looking at the clouds painting the sky. His heart is still beating too fast, and he knows his hands are still shaking.

Just deep breaths. In, and out. There are no seconds here, nothing that keeps ticking repeatedly. He’s fine right here.

The stupid idiot that he is; forgetting his pills. It’s normally the first thing he thinks about before leaving… anywhere. In this past half-year, he’s been following his therapy-sessions faithfully, keeping track of the medication schedule he’s given and doing the exercises every day before going to bed. For the past three months, he hasn’t had any _reactions_ in any way – though that’s probably because of his continuous avoiding behavior to things that trigger him.

But now, sitting here with his hands on his forehead and his teeth biting his lips, Peter realizes it quickly enough. He’s forgotten his medication for the past week, all because of his intensive hours at the internship.

Suddenly, Peter’s cellphone goes off in the pocket of his jeans. Peter jumps up, feet still dangling dangerously over the edge of the roof. He doesn’t pull them back, but does fish out his phone, staring at the screen for a moment.

He doesn’t recognize the number at all, so he hesitates a bit. Who would want to call _him_? Last time an unknown number called him, it had been Oscorp about the journals.

“With Peter Parker,” Peter says as his usual greeting.

“ _FRIDAY tells me you’re having a little moment on the roof. Should I be worried about teenagers jumping down?”_

Oh, crap.

Mr. Stark?!

“Oh, hi Mr. Stark! I just- I’m not-“ Peter starts, but he can’t find his words. He jumps back to his feet and starts walking away from the edge. “I was just getting some air, is all.”

“ _Yeah, because you can’t open a window?”_ Mr. Stark asks, and Peter frowns for a bit. What’s it to him, after all? He should have just designed some balconies or something.

“Uh,” Peter starts, but then he closes his mouth. What’s he supposed to say here? That he ended up panicking because his mentor decided to install a clock? Stark’s just going to laugh in his face, that’s what’s going to happen! “I’ll just get back inside.”

“ _That’s probably for the best, yes,”_ Mr. Stark says before hanging up again. Peter’s mouth falls open as the phone still hangs next to his ear.

How rude could a man be? Just hanging up on him like that? That’s just- Peter can’t even express how angry he’s suddenly feeling right now. Especially when he looks up to see the door leading back to the elevator open up, inviting Peter back inside.

“Holy shit, what an asshole!” Peter shouts out, uncaring if FRIDAY might hear it from inside. Mr. Stark can know, for all he cares! Peter just needed a breath, a bit of fresh air to clear his mind. All he gets is _this_? An instruction of Mr. Stark to just _open a window?_

Right when Peter wants to walk back to the door, still muttering out curses under his breath, a cold chill passes through him. A warning; something is about to happen.

But in all his frustration, the warning came late; right when Peter turns around, he’s swooped up in the air by a pair of hand hauling him up underneath his shoulders. Peter’s legs swing around, attempting to wiggle free from the hold.

One look down quickly makes him think twice about that plan.

“How’s it goin’, Peter?”

Oh great. As if his day hasn’t been crap enough already. Now he’s got the Goblin on his ass again.

“Harry, let me down!” Peter returns. He knows he can’t shoot anything into his face, because falling from this high would certainly be lethal, and he’s not sure he’ll be fast enough seeing as how high he is. The glider keeps on bringing them up.

“If you want to, I can do that,” the Goblin says in his usual screechy voice; a voice that doesn’t fit Harry at all. Then he releases is grab on Peter a tiny bit, giving Peter the feeling that he’s about to fall. He lets out a shout, and suddenly grabs on to the Goblin’s hands in an attempt to hold on to something.

“ _Not_ what I meant!” Peter shouts in return. The Goblin just laughs.

“You should have learned, after what happened with Gwen,” he answers. Then he lets the Glider move forward again, taking Peter away from Stark Tower.

_Crap_ , now they’re going to think he just bailed. That’s going to be another blow on his points…

As Peter is hanging there in the air, he quickly thinks back of his phone-call with Mr. Stark. However short it had been, Peter could have sworn it sounded like the guy was flying. Is it possible that he was in pursuit for the Goblin, and tried to get Peter away from the roof to make sure he was safe?

And in return, all Peter did was being slow and muttering out curses towards the man. What an idiot, he is!

“Seems like we have company!” The Goblin suddenly shouts, and Peter dares to turn his head to the side. He’s proven right when he can see a glimpse of Iron Man following them.

_Holy crap!_ Peter thinks to himself.

“ _Goblin, let the kid go,”_ Iron Man’s calm voice calls out. Peter feels another cold chill pass him by. Excessively, he starts shaking his head, gripping the Goblin a bit tighter by the arm. He knows what’s going to happen next, and of course he knows he’s not going to fall down to his death, that small moment of freefall is scary enough for him.

“No no no, Mr. Stark!” Peter mutters out, but the Goblin smirks.

“As you wish, Iron Man,” Harry says, doing exactly what Peter expected him to do. The hands under his shoulders slip away, and Peter feels himself lowering down a bit. Except, his grip on the Goblin’s arms is strong.

Perhaps too strong. Too sticky.

Crap, he’s going to have to fall if he doesn’t want Mr. Stark to realize there’s something fishy going on here. Or spidery. Great.

Peter lets go.

He falls for maybe just a few seconds. In that time, he sees the ground get closer. He hears the Goblin escaping, and Iron Man’s thrusters getting louder. He feels the air all around him, blowing into his hair. He feels his heart skip a bit, his breath escaping his lungs.

As he looks up in the sky, he sees Iron Man’s mask in front of him. What is Mr. Stark thinking there, underneath that face-plate? Underneath that permanent angry look of gold and red. Is he scared? Is he relaxed, having done this many times before? Is he angry at Peter for not getting inside sooner?

Peter doesn’t know. All he knows is that he’s falling. He’s going down, knowing that Iron Man will catch him.

Much like Gwen knew he was going to catch her. Which he did. Only too late.

For a moment, it seems like Peter is falling much quicker than Mr. Stark can fly. But he should know that’s impossible. Mr. Stark knows what he’s doing. But, what is that little drop there, in the air? Peter looks at it in long silence, before he realizes it’s a tear. He’s crying.

Maybe Mr. Stark should just let him fall; let him know the fate that befell Gwen. He would deserve it, after all. He made _one_ promise to her father; to keep her out of everything. He had tried, but not enough. He gave in to temptation, made her part of his life.

And she’s the one who ended up under the ground.

“No,” Peter whispers out, but he doesn’t know what he means with it. Is it a plea for Mr. Stark to stop chasing after him? A warning for himself, to say that he shouldn’t think like that? That he _doesn’t_ deserve this? He doesn’t know. Things are just too much right now.

He’s still falling.

Five seconds may have passed ever since he let go of the Goblin. In five seconds, his mind has wandered everywhere, his heart is already aching, and his fingers are trembling. But not because of the fall; because of Gwen.

It’s always Gwen, it will always be about her. He won’t ever be capable of letting that go.

There’s a light shock when Iron Man wraps his arms around Peter, pulling him back up. A small gasp escapes his mouth, and the breath that has escaped from his lungs suddenly comes back up. Out of reflex, Peter’s hands grab on to the metal arms holding him. He closes his eyes, hearing Mr. Stark say something but unable to hear it.

This is what should have happened with Gwen, back then. She should have been caught.

Whatever Mr. Stark is saying, Peter opens his eyes to see them nearing Stark Tower once more. The Goblin is probably long gone, Peter doesn’t know really. Right now, all he wants is to feel the ground under his feet, to be safe within four walls, even if there’s a stupid clock ticking in his ears for the entire day.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed since he was taken and now, but he knows it can’t be much. Mr. Stark drops him gently on the ground, but Peter still stumbles forward and starts breathing heavily. Behind him, Mr. Stark steps out of his suit.

Wrapping his arms around him, Peter slowly sees his vision become darker around him. In front of him, he can see the dark tower again. Gwen’s scared blue eyes staring at him, hoping that he will catch her as she reaches out her hands towards him. She doesn’t scream – she never did, she’s always been extremely calm even in the most stressful situations.

Peter remembers vividly shooting out his web, seeing how it reaches her slowly, but not fast enough. She falls down more quickly than the web goes. But eventually, it does make contact, and Peter pulls up.

Then there’s that noise; that _crack_ that follows. The sound that indicates that he’s too late, he’s always been too late. And Peter gasps for breath, leaning forward as he puts his hand on his chest, remembering too well how her lifeless body felt in his hands as he cradled her close to him. As he wept, cried for the girl he loved, feeling her dying in his arms. One heartbeat, one more, and then nothing.

“Kid?”

Peter pushes himself from the ground, turning around to face Mr. Stark. But all he sees is Harry, staring at him with a huge grin on his face, mocking him as he grieves. He shakes his head and takes a step back. This isn’t real, he tells himself. He knows it isn’t real. Harry isn’t here – the _Goblin_ isn’t here. He’s not at the clock-tower, he’s at Stark Industries. He’s safe here.

But his eyes don’t agree, and Peter quickly holds out his hand, ready to shoot some webs in Harry’s face as a first defense. He just needs to get out.

“You killed her,” he hissed at the Goblin, who somehow holds up his arms as if to prove he’s innocent.

“Peter, what’s wrong?”

Peter sees the Goblin’s mouth move, but the voice doesn’t match the person. It sounds deeper, more sane. More… _worried_? Peter pulls back his arms and wraps them around himself, trying to keep a tight hold as he keeps on stepping back from the figure in front of him. Everything is wrong.

“You _killed_ her _!_ ” Peter repeats in a hiss, preparing himself to throw out a web, but his hand is shaking too much; he can’t aim right now.

Besides, while the Goblin might have dropped her, her death isn’t entirely on him to blame. _He_ was there as well, after all.

“I-,” Peter starts, taking a shaky breath while shaking his head again. “I killed her.”

“Okay, Peter, I know that what you’re seeing seems real, but it’s not. It’s me, Tony Stark. You know I won’t hurt you, Peter.”

Peter’s eyes go back up, focusing on the Goblin in front of him. Slowly but surely, Harry’s face slowly shifts back towards another, familiar and more friendly face. A face that looks as exhausted as Peter is feeling at the moment, with dark circles under the eyes and an unshaven beard on his chin, hair messy and sticking everywhere.

He’s not in the tower, he’s at Stark Industries, on the balcony of Mr. Stark’s penthouse. The arms that he thought he had wrapped around himself aren’t actually his own, but the inventor’s instead.

Peter is still breathing heavily, chest heaving up and down with dried tears still sticking on his cheeks. His hands are clutching on Mr. Stark’s, as if afraid to let them go. Shame hits him immediately, making him want to puke on the spot.

And to think what can happen when he forgets to take his medication…

With soft sobs, Peter turns around, pressing his face against Mr. Stark’s shoulder and feeling all his restraints letting go.

“Just let it all out,” Mr. Stark says calmly, gently patting him on the back as they stand here in the middle of the balcony, the Iron Man suit standing still behind them and the wind softly blowing in their faces. Peter doesn’t want to look up, to see that he lost control in such a public place, in front of the father that doesn’t even know he has a son.

After what must be minutes, Peter starts to pull back, quickly rubbing away a tear and trying not to show too much that he’s been crying. It’s a lost cause, of course, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t try it. Mr. Stark takes a step back as well, giving Peter a long look before turning his head away.

“Come with me for a second, Peter?” Mr. Stark asks, and Peter wants to laugh it out. For the entire week Peter has been working his ass off here at an internship he only got to be near this exact man, and now, after-hours, the guy just invites him up for, what? A drink? As if.

But Peter doesn’t refuse. He finds it difficult to do that, feeling as if he would be a bad son if he would just head back home and ignoring his invite.

So Peter follows Mr. Stark towards a window he didn’t know was actually a door. Mr Stark opens it, gesturing for Peter to come inside. The teenager hesitates only for a little bit, but then he agrees.

Once Peter manages to get a good look at the inside, his mouth still manages to fall open. There’s such an open space here, seemingly endless place to move around. Mr. Stark already makes his way to what must be the living room, but it’s difficult to put the spaces in different ‘terms’ since there’s no wall separating the living room with the kitchen or the dining room.

“Just sit down for a minute, Peter. I’ll get you a hot drink,” Mr. Stark says, pointing towards the couch before heading towards the kitchen. Peter would almost have expected Mr. Stark to have servants to do that for him, but he’s glad to see that Mr. Stark is pretty independent when it comes to that kind of thing.

Once Mr. Stark returns with a steamy cup that smells a lot like a hot chocolate, Peter takes it over with lightly shaking hands, offering the man a small smile in gratitude.

“My mother used to make me this, back when I was sad or having a hard time,” Mr. Stark says, pointing towards the cup but not looking at Peter, instead keeping his head pointed towards the couch in front of him and sitting himself down on it. “It happened sometimes, that my dad got angry with me whenever I tried to show him something I made. My mother and Jarvis always stayed with me whenever that happened, of course.”

He talks about it as if it’s just a fact that doesn’t matter too much. Mr. Stark looks at his hand, eyes seeming tired and ready to close to catch a long sleep. Peter doesn’t talk at all, deciding to let the man talk instead. He takes his first taste of the chocolate, noticing immediately that it’s not the best he’s tasted so far, but also not the worst. Somehow, the taste of coffee is strong in it, as if he actually spilled some coffee-powder in it.

“There was no reason for me to complain, of course, but then they died” Mr. Stark then continues, and then his eyes meet Peter’s, and he looks serious. “I was only a little bit older than you are when I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. It almost killed me, too.”

Peter lowers the cup, eyes widening at the sudden heart-to-heart he’s having with Mr. Stark here. He quickly thinks back of the conversation he overheard between him and Steve, thinking back of how the guy had been going on and on about the medication Mr. Stark supposedly forgot to take.

Of course, Peter knows who he gets _that_ from, thinking of how he actually forgot his pills back at home for the past few days. He’s such an idiot.

“With trouble, and lots of vows of silence, people helped me through it, but I had been instructed to take these,” with that, Mr. Stark fishes out a bottle of pills, shaking it around a bit before lowering his hand and fumbling around with the lid. “The year I met your mother has been when I was allowed to stop taking them completely.”

_Oh, crap._ Peter doesn’t think he’s ready for this conversation, yet.

“Can you-“ Peter starts before clearing his throat again. “Can you tell me about her?”

Mr. Stark gives him another long look before nodding. Then he puts the bottle with pills away and clasps his hands together.

“Your mother must have been one of the most passionate person I’ve met,” he starts, eyes meeting Peter’s. The teenager nods as he leans forward a bit. His hands have now stopped shaking at last, though his heart is still going too fast. “She came to work with a smile on her face, always bringing out the creative ideas that would once again become popular with the public.”

Then Mr. Stark stops, biting on his lip and sighing loudly. His hands are balled into fists, veins showing underneath his skin.

“We were good friends, spent almost all of our time together, working on stuff.” Then Mr. Stark stands up, walking towards the bar and pouring himself a small glass of what must be scotch. Peter almost wants to comment how he shouldn’t combine that with his medication, but he figures that’s not his place. “And then she met your father. That must have been the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

Mr. Stark downs his glass in once go, already preparing to fill it up again.

“Our contact wavered a bit after that. She spent less and less time at work, and eventually she resigned her job, leaving to go to Oscorp instead to work with him. The last time I saw her, we parted our ways after a stupid fight.”

Peter takes a few seconds to take it in. It’s a vague description of what he’s read in his mother’s diaries, but he figures that it matches pretty much. He tries another taste from the hot chocolate, finding quickly that he enjoys the slight bitter taste.

“You loved her, didn’t you?” Peter asks, and Mr. Stark keeps his head down, instead downing his glass once more in one go. After that, he simply takes the bottle with him, and starts walking back towards the couch.

“Your mother did mean a lot to me, yes,” Mr. Stark says, shrugging a bit. “Which is why her departure had been such a hard blow for me. Outside the knowledge of the press, Obey quickly sent me back to the hospital to get my act back together. Once again putting me on these pills.”

Peter takes a deep breath and then sighs out, thinking of how he’s doing at the moment. He’s only sixteen, but he knows what the doctors diagnosed him with; PTSD, recurring flash-backs of what happened back at the tower, with Harry’s. He knows it’s the reason why his school performance has been dropping. Why he hasn’t tried to make contact with other people to make new friends.

Why he avoids every single belltower, meaning every church in the neighborhood. He doesn’t want to be near them, fearing too much that he would relive the moments where he had Gwen so close within his grasp, but he only arrived too late.

“What I’m trying to say with this, kid, is that there’s no shame at all in dealing with some mental issues. More people than you know have had trouble with it in the past.” Then Mr. Stark gets up once more, dropping his glass on the table and slowly nearing Peter at his couch. “I know you’ve lost more people than you should in such a young age. And it’s good that you try to keep them in your mind, but you also mustn’t forget to live in the present, to make new friends and form new families.”

Peter suddenly wonders if Mr. Stark even follows his own advice. Another sigh escapes his mouth, and their eyes meet. For a few short seconds, all Peter can see is what he sees in the mirror; that same dark shade of brown. There’s no speck of other color in it, just that one chocolate-darkness – that’s how Gwen liked to describe it.

“Why were you on the roof, Peter?”

Peter shakes his head. His hands ball into tight fists, and his breathing speeds up again. He can’t say it; he doesn’t want to seem so weak. He doesn’t want Mr. Stark to know him like this.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me, kid,” Mr. Stark adds. Peter blinks a few times, turning his head to the side in an attempt to avoid his gaze upon his own.

He doesn’t want to lie to him. He’s his father; in any normal circumstances, Peter would have spilled the beans a long time ago.

“I’ve been forgetting my meds,” Peter admits. Mr. Stark stays quiet as Peter clears his throat again. “In June, my girlfriend died. The Goblin took her, I was there, but I couldn’t save her.”

Peter licks his lips, trying to tell himself he should keep talking.

“In October, I got diagnosed with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder after my aunt sent me off to a few doctors. They started treating me immediately, giving me meds and sessions. I still failed my classes, but by January, things started to get a bit better.”

“Is there any history of depression in your family?” Mr. Stark suddenly asks. Peter thinks for a while, thinking back of what Mr. Stark just said a few minutes ago. Then he nods. Of course, the man wouldn’t know it’s _him_ Peter is talking about.

“Now I’ve just been so busy with the internship, I’ve been forgetting my meds. And then Francis installed an hour-clock to keep me from working overtime, since I tend to forget time as well, and I didn’t react too well to the clock since it kept on ticking every second away,” Peter continues. “I got so close to just, smashing the clock with my bare hands, and that’s when I knew I had to get out.”

“Why is the clock bothering you?”

“What?”

Mr. Stark raises his eyebrow, but he doesn’t move at all. His elbow is on his leg, and he’s leaning forward a bit. His fingers are no longer bound together – though Peter is sure they shouldn’t be out of their bandages so soon.

“Why is the clock such a bother?” Mr. Stark tries again. Peter blinks a few times before answering.

“The seconds. They remind me of the bell tower where Gwen-“ Peter starts, but he doesn’t finish the sentence. It’s probably clear enough, anyway. “I heard it ticking all the time, and it became too much.”

Mr. Stark stays quiet for a few minutes before standing up again. Then he picks up his cellphone and starts typing stuff in such a speed that Peter wouldn’t even be able to follow. Right now, all Peter wants is to just go to bed, but he’s still got a few hours to go at work. He should return.

Peter puts down his empty cup, standing up as well. That’s when Mr. Stark turns back to him.

“You, go back home. You’re taking the rest of the day off,” the man says, pointing towards Peter with his cellphone. Peter opens his mouth to protest, but Mr. Stark stops him. “I’ll arrange it with the school, you won’t lose any points over this. Just get back to your medication and take care of yourself for a bit.”

Then he looks back at the phone, continuing his message of whatever it is he’s typing.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” Peter says, nodding towards the man who isn’t even seeing him right now. Peter decides not to pay too much attention to it, and starts making his way towards the door.

“Oh, and when that Arc Reactor is finished, show it to me, will you?” Mr. Stark adds without taking his eyes off the phone. Peter stands still for a moment, but then nods.

He goes home after that, and by the time he returns next Monday, he notices that the clock has been removed, replaced by a digital one. On his desk lying one little note.

               _One step at a time. -TS_

Peter grinned and lowered his head, feeling something inside of him that he hasn’t felt since Uncle Ben’s death.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:   
> \- Panic Attacks  
> \- Dark Thoughts  
> \- The Freaking Goblin


	9. Chapter 9

Peter sees him again on Tuesday, in between classes.

Ned Leeds is walking in a slow pace, nearing the classroom Peter is heading to, hands in his pockets and backpack hanging low over his shoulders. There are a few Star Wars pins attached to it, but also most of the Avenger’s logos. Iron Man’s mask, Cap’s shield, Hulk’s fist, Thor’s hammer, Clint’s bow and Widow’s hourglass.

Looking at them, Peter starts to wonder what Wanda’s or Vision’s logos would be. Or War Machine’s, or Falcon’s. They don’t have one of those yet, as much as Peter knows.

Ned lowers his bag slowly, approaching an empty desk in the classroom, and luckily picking a place which has a free spot behind him. Peter doesn’t speak, instead just sits down right behind him. Ned must think it weird, seeing as there’s so much place left in here, but Peter’s exactly where he wants to be.

By the time the class starts, Peter leans forward, poking his pen in Ned’s shoulder.

“Pssst, Ned, right?” Peter asks, though he knows the answer to that. Ned just nods, turning his head a bit to the side. He seems surprised that anybody is talking to him at all.

“Yeah, and you’re Peter, right?” Ned asks in return. When Peter raises an eyebrow, Ned just shrugs. “People talk around here, you know,” he adds. Peter knows he’s talking about Gwen, and the fact that he’s failing his classes. He wants to say something, but suddenly the teacher looks at him with a stern expression.

“Mr. Parker, I do hope that you’ve finished the assignment you were given? Or have you been too busy distracting Mr. Leeds, here?” the woman asks. She’s an old prune, probably nearing the sixties with grey hair that is always put up. Peter thinks for a moment, needing to recall which class this actually is.

“Uh, yeah of course,” Peter says, reaching for his backpack and searching around in his papers.

His math-homework… _math homework…_ Peter is sure he made it; even had Francis check it out because the guy wanted to. He had said that everything was correct, that complimented Peter on getting it right. But in which folder did Peter leave it?

And that’s when it hits him; he didn’t put it in a folder. He left it on his desk. At Stark Industries. Dum-E must have put it away so Peter forgot about it.

“Uh, I actually- I did make it, but it seems like I forgot it at work,” Peter starts to explain as he drops his bag on the ground again. “You see, I put it on my desk, but Mr. Stark’s robot set it aside and I forgot about it-“

“Mr. Stark? Parker actually thinks he knows Iron Man?” Flash says from behind the classroom. All the other students start to laugh, but Mrs. Cooper – that’s the teacher’s name – doesn’t seem so amused.

“You’re on thin ice here, Mr. Parker. I don’t know if you care about catching up in school, but there aren’t many more chances the school are willing to give.”

“But I’m serious, Mrs. Cooper! I’m an intern at Stark Industries, and I showed the homework to one of the people there to check if I got everything right, but then Dum-E moved it!” Peter still tries, but the longer he speaks, the more he realizes he’s sounding like he’s making it up on the spot.

“You can stop telling lies, and think about why you _really_ didn’t make your homework tonight at detention.”

“Detention? But I can’t! I have my internship!” She can’t do this; after his fiasco last Saturday at the tower, he fears he’s already in enough trouble as it is. He can’t risk getting on everybody’s bad side even more! Before long, they’ll see him as a joke!

“You should have thought of that before feeding me these lies. A robot called ‘Dummy’ put your homework away? Who are you even trying to kid? Now stop interrupting my class, Mr. Parker.”

And with that, Mrs. Cooper goes on with collecting everybody’s homework before coming to stand in front of the class again. Peter’s face feels entirely red, and he knows everybody’s attention is on him. As suspected, they’re laughing.

What was he thinking, even? Saying Dum-E’s name has probably been the dumbest thing in the world; who would believe Mr. Stark would actually call his very first robot like that? Who even in this class has had the chance of meeting Mr. Stark in person?

Normally his plan had been to talk to Ned after this, to try and befriend the guy. All he’s thinking of right now is to call up _anybody_ at Stark Industries to explain that he’ll be an hour late. This stinks…

Peter endures the class, even manages to finish all the equations without any trouble – much faster even than the others. He’d hoped the woman would have mercy on him if he showed that he could do it, but as it turns out she’s a stone cold bitch who doesn’t even seem to like teaching to teenagers.

The moment the bell indicates that the hour is over, Peter stands up while already grabbing his phone. He thinks of typing Francis’ number, but then he realizes the guy probably isn’t working right now, usually going for the evenings at the tower. He doesn’t even have any other numbers, except for…

No, no way. There’s absolutely _no way_ that he’ll call Mr. Stark to say that he’ll be a bit too late. That would just be pushing his luck.

But who else is there? Sure, there’s _maybe_ the front desk he can call, but that guy will let him hold and wait until he’s put through to the right person, and Peter will be standing there for ten minutes. He doesn’t have that time.

“I’m so going to get fired,” Peter mutters, searching for the last-called number and pressing the phone against his ear. Once he gets to his locker, he quickly looks around to see who’s near him. Then he opens up to put his math-stuff back inside and grab the biology-books.

“ _You’re calling during school hours; am I to assume that somebody attacked your school and you’re all in danger? If not, don’t call during school hours,”_ Mr. Stark’s voice suddenly says, speaking a bit fast.

“Uh, no-one is in danger,” Peter responds, a bit out of it because of the weird greeting. “I just- I got detention because I forgot my homework on my desk, so I’ll be an hour late today.”

There’s a moment of silence on the other side on the line, and Peter’s already preparing himself for the answer he’ll get. Mr. Stark surely tell him now not to even bother coming back. Peter can feel it. Maybe he _should_ have called the front desk…

“ _Tell me exactly what happened, kid,”_ Mr. Stark then says instead, much to Peter’s surprise. His mouth falls open, and his book falls to the ground. With a grunt, he kneels down to pick it up.

“Well, I told her that I showed my homework to Francis to have him check it out, but then Dum-E put it away somewhere when he cleared my desk so I forgot about it, but then she thought that I was just making it up because who would call their robot Dummy and-“

“ _Okay, you’re rattling now. That bot can’t ever do anything good now, can he?”_ Mr. Stark then suddenly laughs. “ _Don’t worry, it will be taken care of.”_

“Alright, thank you Mr. Stark! Sorry for calling you on this line, but I don’t really have a lot of time or I’ll be late for-“

The bell rings. Peter’s late for class.

“Ah crap,” he mutters, looking down and feeling the strong urge to just skip the class in general.

“ _Better hurry up, then. Don’t want two hours of detention now, do we?”_

“Yes, sir! Thank you sir!” And with that, Peter hangs up, closing his locker again and starting to run towards his biology class.

Only, the moment his locker is closed, he bumps in against somebody, causing for the two of them to land on the ground. The other person lands with his head on an open locker, which must hurt a lot, Peter figures. He quickly stands up.

“Holy crap, I’m so sorry!” he starts, already reaching out for the other person to help him, only to see that it’s Ned.

Ned, who’s looking at him with wide eyes as if he’s just realized he’s Spider-Man. Oh, crap! Is his suit showing? Peter quickly looks down, but sees that it’s not the case.

“You actually _know_ Mr. Stark? You can just… call him?” Ned asks, ignoring the small stream of blood pouring out of his small headwound. Peter wants to point it out at him, but it’s probably better if he would just bring him to the nurse’s office.

“Yeah, uh, can you stand? We need to get you to-“ Peter starts, but as Ned starts to stand up, he grabs Peter’s arm.

“What is he like? Is he as smart as everybody says he is? Many people also say he’s kind of an asshole, but I’d like to think that a man who donates that much money to so many charity cases isn’t that much of a jerk, you know?”

“Uh,” Peter lets out, not really knowing where to start. He just puts Ned’s arm over his shoulder and starts taking him the right way.

“Please, tell me! I’m probably one of his biggest fans,” Ned says. Peter decides to just indulge him.

“He’s… eccentric to say the least,” he answers, honestly. No-one can ever really predict what Mr. Stark’s next move is, always surprising everybody. “I mean, when I had my interview for the internship he just told me to fix his gauntlet.”

“Whoa, did you fix _Iron Man’s_ gauntlet? That is so cool!”

And as they near the nurse’s office, the conversation keeps on going like that. Peter explains to the nurse what exactly happened, and the woman starts cleaning up Ned’s wound with delicacy, obviously trained for this. After she’s finished, she hands the two boys a note to excuse them for being late in class, and then they’re on their way back.

During biology, Peter and Ned are seated together and they talk some more about the Avengers in hushed voices. Peter is aware that half the class is still mocking him about Dum-E, but he tries to let it pass him by. He shouldn’t be bothered about it.

But he is, especially when suddenly a note is dropped in front of him with on it a very badly made drawing. It’s mostly stick-figures, but the names on top reveal enough.

What he sees in front of him is a representation of himself crying as a robot that doesn’t even remotely look like Dum-E works around him. There’s some stupid jokes written around them, but Peter doesn’t bother to read them, instead folding it up into a little ball and throwing it into the trash can with perfect precision.

By the time class is finished, Peter lets out a sigh and picks up his detention slip he got from Mrs. Cooper earlier. He says goodbye to Ned after they exchange numbers, and then he starts making his way to the detention hall, where he suddenly hears some commotion happening.

What’s going on? Peter slowly opens the door, seeing only a few students in there, looking bored out of their mind. In the front, there’s the detention-keeper, deep in discussion with somebody Peter doesn’t really know. The third member of said discussion is Mrs. Cooper, who doesn’t seem happy about being here after her working hours.

“What I say is, you gave Mr. Parker detention after he supposedly ‘lied’ to you, but I am here to confirm that he _didn’t_. Mrs. Ferez looked over his homework, put it on Peter’s desk, and then Mr. Stark’s incredibly incompetent bot misplaced it. It took us literally an hour to find it underneath all of the mess that rusted bag of bolts has created. Mr. Stark often thinks of donating the thing to a school, you know.”

“Do you _honestly_ expect us to believe that Tony Stark himself created a robot he later on called ‘Dummy’, and that said bot then in turn managed to _lose_ Mr. Parker’s homework?” Mrs. Cooper asks, still not seeming to believe it. The guy – who is he, even? – groans, seemingly losing his patience here.

“You want proof, I can give you proof,” the guy says before fishing out his phone and searching along on it. Then he turns the device around and points it towards the two others in front of him. “See here, Mr. Parker handing his homework.”

Then the guy scrolls a bit forward.

“Here you see Mr. Ferez giving Peter’s homework back.”

More scrolling.

“And here we have this wonderfully incompetent bot messing everything up as per usual.”

The two adults look at the screen with frowns, as if hating to be proven wrong. But even Peter knows that the camera images aren’t lying. Dum-E _had_ moved his things, and according to this man, it had almost been impossible to find!

“Enough for you?” the man then asks, pulling his phone back and putting it inside his pocket once more. Then he taps onto the piece of paper that Peter recognizes as his homework.

The keeper looks at Mrs. Cooper with a shrug, not seeming all that intent on keeping Peter here. The woman stays quiet for a long time, but eventually sighs as she looks down. Then she shrugs.

“Let him go, then,” she says, waving Peter away without even looking at him. Peter stands up immediately, grabbing his bag again while standing at the door. The other man doesn’t even look at the two others anymore, instead walking towards Peter with a smirk on his face. When Peter meets his eyes, he can see some sort of playfulness here.

“C’mon, we’re wasting time here,” the guy says. Peter nods, quickly following him out. Without saying anything else, the man guides him out of the school and onto the parking lot, where he seems to make his way to what looks like a very expensive _Audi._ A group of teenagers is surrounding it, looking at it in admiration. One of those is Flash, and next to him stands Eddie Brock.

Peter feels himself grin when the guy presses a button to open the door. The students jump back in surprise, making a little path for the two to pass.

“Peter Parker?” he hears some students whisper.

“Parker ain’t that rich!”

“Could be Osborn’s? Heard they were friends in the past?”

“Nah, haven’t you heard, Harry Osborn’s been taken into a psychiatric ward or something.”

Peter ignores them, walking past them as he gets to the passenger’s seat. Then the guy stops him by putting his hand on Peter’s chest.

“You got a license?” the guy asks, and Peter nods. He got it almost as soon as he turned sixteen, after all. Then the guy hands Peter the keys and takes Peter’s place on the passenger’s seat. Peter just stands there, mouth fallen open and all eyes on him. There’s some more muttering, but he ignores it.

In a quick step, Peter gets to the driver’s side, instead. The moment he closes the door, the man – who is he, even? – shows him how to start up the car and gives him brief instructions on how to work with everything. Peter follows every step, eventually backing up the car without touching any of the students around him.

“Doing great,” the guy says as Peter drives away from the parking lot, leaving the school behind them and entering the usual busy roads of New York. “Guess I can finally take this off, then. Should thank Widow for it.”

The guy’s voice suddenly changes mid-sentence, and Peter actually looks to the side to see the man’s face shift into someone else’s as he pulls of what seems like some sort of mask. The guy then pulls off the dark-blonde wig he was wearing, turning towards Peter to give him a smile.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter then asks, surprised at the sudden turn of events.

“Eyes on the road, kid!” suddenly comes out as a warning, and Peter immediately turns his head back, seeing that a group of people is about to cross the road. Quickly, he hits the brakes, allowing them to pass.

“Why are you here? I thought you were too busy for-“

“Eh, you know, I found myself with a lot of free time and I could use a break,” Mr. Stark then says. He leans forward to turn on the heating and then leans back in his seat. “Besides, I thought I would take you along for a little ride. I expect you could use some distraction, no?”

Peter wants to say anything, but the words escapes his mouth. He’s quickly reminded of what he said to Ned earlier; this guy is eccentric and even that is putting it lightly. He’s just never ready whenever it comes to this man.

“But, I should be working, no?” Peter tries to have cleared out. He needs to know he won’t be getting in trouble for this.

“We are working, kid,” Mr. Stark asks, fishing out his sunglasses and putting them on, despite there being no sun at all. Then he smirks towards Peter, showing his bright white teeth. “Besides, I’m the boss, nobody’s going to tell me what to do.”

He’s got a point there, but Peter just wants to make sure, of course. Not that he minds, of course. Last time he’d been to the tower, the Goblin had kidnapped him in an attempt to get Iron Man off his trail.

“Is this about… is this about what happened Saturday?” Peter asks, stopping at the red light and waiting for it to turn green again.

“Of course not,” Mr. Stark responds, but the way he says it reveals enough. “Okay, maybe a bit, but in my defense, I have benefits from this as well; Cap keeps on whining about me never doing anything, so at least this way I’m relieved from him for at least a few hours.”

Peter doesn’t speak, instead nods and accelerates again. This car drives perfectly, and Peter would love to have one of these of his own, if only he had some money.

Being February, there’s still some light snow falling down, but not staying on the ground. People are packed into their warm coats, flocking together to stay warm in the cold with their hot cups of coffee in their gloved hands.

As Mr. Stark gives him instructions on where to go, Peter finds himself recognizing the place already. Getting himself Upstate, Peter drives up onto a road surrounded by trees. After what must be about twenty minutes of careful driving, Peter parks the car in front of the familiar Facility he’s come to know as the Avenger’s headquarters.

“Whoa!” Peter says, because he knows he has to appear impressed. If he wouldn’t be, Mr. Stark would surely notice. “Is this-?”

“Yup,” Mr. Stark says, and then he steps out of the car without any warning. “C’mon, you’re coming with me.”

Peter doesn’t complain at all. He knows this should be any kid or teenager’s dream, so he’ll have to act like he’s never been here before in his life. Mr. Stark is standing outside, waiting for Peter to join him.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re still an intern,” Mr. Stark says as they start walking towards the entrance. “I’m just assigning you as my _personal_ intern.”

Peter is almost sure his mother has something to do with this – despite the fact that she’s been dead for years. Perhaps Mr. Stark sees a lot of her in him, or maybe he just wants to protect her only living son. In any way, Peter’s not going to make any remarks about that. It actually comes in quite handy, when it comes to his plan to get to know the man.

Peter is introduced to some people he hasn’t met before, but also to Dr. Cho – who luckily doesn’t recognize him-  and Vision. The latter luckily doesn’t seem to know that they’ve met before – that, or he’s pretending they haven’t.

“Okay, I’m going to need your help now,” comes from Mr. Stark after the few introductions have been done. Peter follows him into a hallway that he’s never been in before, and suddenly finds himself in what must be a workshop of some sort. It seems a bit more advanced than everything Peter has to work with at the Tower, and as he’s looking at everything, he suddenly finds himself extremely inspired.

Peter starts walking around in the room, trying to take a good view of everything there is. He can see some sort of prototype for one of Widow’s weapons – Peter doesn’t know how it’s called. A bit further there are a pair of Falcon’s wings, but these obviously took a beat, damaged in combat. Peter wonders if it’s a result from fighting the Goblin.

There’s much more; Iron Man Gauntlets, weapons for War Machine, armor for Cap. Peter has to admit that he finds himself impressed. On the other hand, he shouldn’t be too surprised, since this is Tony Stark they’re talking about.

“Hey hey hey, kiddo, I told you I needed your help. Now come here,” Mr. Stark says from the other side of the room. Peter turns around and nods, quickly hurrying back to his side where he can see the mechanic working on what seems like a-

“Uh, what is this?” Peter asks. It looks like some sort of shirt that seems way too big for either of them. There’s some sort of sensor in the middle, but the use of that isn’t clear at all.

“This,” Mr. Stark starts, sitting down on his chair and throwing the shirt towards Peter, “is an auto-fit shirt. It’s supposed to accustom itself to its wearer without making it too big or too small.”

Peter whistles. Where does this guy keep on getting his ideas? He feels the fabric, finding it soft and thick. Looking a bit closer, it reminds him a little bit of his suit.

“Who’s this for?” Peter then asks. Mr. Stark doesn’t respond, instead putting his screwdriver in his mouth and bending down to pick up something from the ground. “What do you want me to do with this?”

“I want you to put it on,” Mr. Stark says. “And then I want your input.”

Peter hesitates for a moment, remembering that he’s wearing his suit underneath. Mr. Stark isn’t paying any attention to him, but Peter can impossibly remove his entire suit in such a short time. Besides, surely Mr. Stark has surveillance here!

“I will, sir, but is it alright if I go to the bathroom, first?” Peter asks, putting the overly large shirt back down on the desk. Mr. Stark doesn’t look up, instead pointing towards the hallway they just came from.

“First room on your left,” he says before looking back down on his inventions. Peter just clears his throat and thanks him before making his way out, his bag still hanging over his shoulder. As he exits the workshop, his eyes suddenly land on Captain America – no, wait, Steve – slowly coming his way to them. Peter decides to just ignore him for now and to get into the bathroom.

Taking off his suit goes easily. Peter’s almost experienced when it comes to this. In just a minute, the thing is already folded back into his bag, and Peter already makes his departure from the toilet, though not without washing his hands. Mr. Stark notices a lot of things, and if Peter’s hands are not a tiny bit wet, he might think something more went on here.

That, or he might think of Peter as a kid that doesn’t wash his hands after using the toilet. Each way, Peter can simply avoid that.

Once he gets back out, he almost stumbles against Steve, who is preparing himself to knock on the door of the workshop. The two apologize, but as soon as Steve sees him – and maybe recognizes him – he starts to frown.

“How did you get here?” he asks, not angry but more curiously. Peter opens his mouth to answer, but then FRIDAY suddenly opens up the door for them, allowing them in.

“ _Sir, Captain Rogers seems to have joined Mr. Parker,”_ FRIDAY’s familiar voice says. Mr. Stark looks up a little bit, and then looks back down.

“If you’re here to give me another speech: just don’t. You don’t want to bore the kid, after all!” He says. Next to Peter, Steve rolls his eyes but still marches towards Mr. Stark in long strides. Peter just hurries after him, already unbuttoning his shirt and reaching for Mr. Stark’s newest invention.

“You brought along a kid as a shield?” Steve asks, not sounding impressed at all. Peter tries not to be too self-conscious when he stands there with his naked chest. This is a terrible idea; Peter knows that he’s muscular – quite much more than he would appear to be, since he’s almost always wearing clothes that are a tad bit too big for him to make him look smaller.

“Don’t be stupid, of course I didn’t,” Mr. Stark answers to Steve. “At least, not entirely. He’s going to be my new assistant.”

“I’m what?” Peter asks in surprise as he pulls the shirt over his head.

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to do paperwork. I’ve got my _actual_ assistant for that,” Mr. Stark says. Peter pulls the shirt all the way down, wondering if this one shouldn’t actually be considered as a tent, instead. It’s obviously big enough for it, anyway. “Okay, now just stand here.”

Peter goes to stand where Mr. Stark is pointing him to, and then he opens up his arms a little bit, biting his lip as he waits for what’s going to happen next.

“Just press the button in the middle,” Mr. Stark adds. Peter looks down, seeing the small black button he noticed before. Without any hesitation, he reaches up to his chest and presses down with two of his fingers. After that, the tent he’s wearing around him suddenly tightens up, turning into an actual form-fitting shirt that accentuate his muscles and slender figure.

“Whoa!” Peter calls out, inspecting it in wonder. “How does this work?”

“It’s mostly to do with getting up a certain frequency to which the particles in this fabric responds. One certain frequency will get it to loosen up, the other will pull it together,” Mr. Stark explains as he stands up and gets near Peter to observe his work. Then he takes his marker and starts writing things down on the shirt.

“Does the signal need to be continuous? Or is just one ‘beep’ of it enough?” Peter asks, holding in a giggle when the marker travels over his stomach.

“Once is enough, otherwise the person wearing this would be in some trouble when the signal is disturbed,” Mr. Stark says, sounding pensive. A little further back, Steve is leaning against the desk, watching Mr. Stark work. “Cap, honestly, you’re killing me with your death-stare. What do you need?”

“I don’t have a death-stare?” Steve asks, frowning with a slight grin on his lips. Peter copies him, feeling the light air going on here.

“It’s called a bitchy-resting face. Look it up, blue-eyes,” Mr. Stark responds. Steve then glares back at him before pushing himself from the desk and nearing Peter. He takes a small look at the device in Peter’s chest, and then nods.

“Who is this for?” he asks, repeating Peter’s question for earlier. Mr. Stark puts the marker in his mouth and starts pulling at Peter’s shoulders to turn him around. Then he starts drawing more lines on the back, keeping the top of the marker between his teeth.

“Shish ish for a new recruit,” Mr. Stark answers. Then he puts the top back on the marker and puts it in his back pocket, taking a step back as he inspects his work. “A new guy, noticed him a while back, mostly doing some small things on the streets but did manage about two bigger jobs.”

“You mean that Devil of Hell’s Kitchen-guy? What do they call him?” Steve asks.

“Daredevil,” Peter says, still feeling slightly disappointed.

“Yeah, that guy. Still haven’t managed to talk to him,” Steve mutters bitterly. Mr. Stark just laughs as he shakes his head.

“The guy probably quit. Don’t worry, we’ll get him back on the scene,” he says, sitting himself back down on the chair before throwing another item of clothing to Peter. As he catches it, the shirt around him goes back into tent-mode. “Now try on the pants!”

Peter chuckles, and follows his instructions. Meanwhile, as he’s busy, Steve comes to ask what he came for.

“We were in an Avengers meeting, Tony. You can’t just leave like that.”

“I didn’t join the fight! What do you want me to do, evaluate you through what I’m hearing there? Besides, the kid needed me more than you did!”

“Yeah, about that, Natasha is quite pissed that you stole her mask. She wants it back,” Steve adds in between. Peter kicks off his shoes as he listens in on what is said here.

“I made that thing, I get to use my own toys once in a while,” Mr. Stark counters. “Besides, I pay for this entire building. If you want the honest truth, you’re all even more than a handful! If I have to hire another cleaning-maid, I think I might actually just build one from scratch.”

“Tony,” Steve mutters, sounding unimpressed. Peter pulls off his belt and throws it on the ground next to his shoes.

“Cap, honestly, stop hovering like this. I’m taking my pills, I’m following the sessions with Dr. Whatshername-“

“Wynedell,” Steve corrects him.

“Wynedell, yeah. What more do you want of me? Huh?”

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asks the moment the pants are on as well. He pushes the button, and feels the fabric surround himself once again. It feels extremely comfortable, surely amazing to be able to fight in this, he would think. As the two men continue their discussion together, Peter starts doing some lame battle stances, pretending to throw some punches in the air.

“I want you to understand that you can’t be alone,” Steve says. Then Mr. Stark falls quiet, rolling his chair back a little bit. Peter watches it all happening in the corner of his eyes.

“What, you think I’m gonna smash this screwdriver in my chest, is that it?” Mr. Stark asks, sounding completely different at that point. “Think I might pop few pills too many? Electrocute myself?”

“You know that’s not-“ Steve starts, but Mr. Stark stops him by raising his hand.

“You know what, Rogers? I get that you’re scared – I know I’ve been close. But I’ve beaten this thing a few times before, and I can do it again.” Mr. Stark then turns towards Peter with his marker again.

“Now, for crying out loud, _please_ , leave us; obviously I’m not alone.”

Steve just looks at Mr. Stark with a strange expression, and then starts walking towards the door without saying anything. But right before he gets to the door, he turns around again.

“Sorry you had to hear all that, Peter,” Steve says, giving Peter a small smile. The teenager smiles in return and just shrugs, keeping his mouth shut as Mr. Stark rolls his chair forward to start marking things up again.

And as Steve leaves the room, Peter and Mr. Stark continue perfecting the clothes. He only goes home when Aunt May asks him if he’s coming for dinner, and Mr. Stark lets a man called ‘Happy’ drive him back. And if Peter is smiling the entire time while he eats, Aunt May only seems to see it as him finally getting better.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: see end notes!!  
> Seriously!

Peter finishes the arc reactor the day after going to the Facility.

He goes to school, gets back to the tower – even answers some questions from Francis, who had been wondering where Peter went – and then starts on adding the final touches to the device in front of him. He’d been going on a good pace, too, until he got to the final part.

The part that he’s been postponing for the past few days.

“That’s what you get for pulling it off until the last thing,” Peter mutters to himself. “FRIDAY, can you explain to me what this ‘ _Badassium’_ is and why it’s not on the periodic table?”

“ _Badassium is an element created by Mr. Stark to counter Palladium-poisoning. It is based upon Howard Stark’s research of the Tesseract. So far, there are only a few specimens of this element present. As to why it’s not on the periodic table is mostly because of the choice of the word ‘badass’ as a base.”_

Peter snorts, not really surprised about it as he shakes his head.

“Well, any way for me to get my hands on it?” Peter asks.

“ _Only Mr. Stark is in possession of these, I’m afraid,”_ FRIDAY answers. Peter throws his head back and groans. Then he grabs his papers together and throws them into his bag along with the arc reactor. He’ll take care of that the next time he sees Mr. Stark at the Facility.

Seeing that it’s almost seven, Peter reaches into the front of his bag and takes out his box with medications, checking them over before taking them in with the glass of water that has been resting on his desk. After that, he quickly cancels his reminder for today.

Then he stands up and straightens his clothes before walking away from his desk. As he passes Dum-E by, he pats him gently in head before making his way to the toilet.

When he washes his hands, Peter takes a good look at the person he sees in front of him, actually a bit surprised at the weight he’s gained again. In comparison to how he’s been back in September, it’s a good difference.

He knows Aunt May hasn’t mentioned it for a reason; she’s always being careful around him, measuring her words carefully as if afraid to trigger him or something. And while Peter still feels like he’s not really in complete control yet, he is aware that, somehow, things are going slightly better. Despite the small setback last week, even.

“ _Mr. Stark is currently in the Penthouse.”_

Peter pulls away from the basin, clearing his throat and shaking his head.

“Excuse me?” Peter asks. After these past weeks at Stark Industries, Peter finds that he’s grown pretty used to having FRIDAY around. She can be quite the sarcastic AI when it comes to it, but she helps him out more often than not, and that should count for something.

Peter thinks back of the first three weeks back at the tower, where he’d ask the same question daily in the hope that he would one day show up. At the beginning, of course, FRIDAY didn’t tend to answer him at all. Ever since discovering who Peter really is, she seems to have changed a lot.

“ _Mr. Stark is currently at the Penthouse,”_ FRIDAY says, but the way she’s speaking sounds weird, as if she’s trying to give away another, unspoken message. “ _He’s currently not allowing anybody in.”_

“Why are you telling me this?” Peter asks, trying to get more out of it.

“ _Mrs. Potts came by earlier to collect the rest of her belongings_ ,” she explains, and Peter’s mouth falls open in understanding. He puts his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and looks down to the floor. “ _She left about two ago.”_

So that’s why he had seen Mrs. Potts earlier. She doesn’t come by often, usually staying at the organization back in Malibu.

“A lot can happen in an hour,” Peter mutters, rubbing his chin as he looks to the side for a moment. Then he decides it’s best to just walk out of the bathroom before anybody catches him talking to himself in here. FRIDAY usually stays quiet when there’s somebody else around Peter, so they don’t really know he talks a lot with her.

As Peter gets back to his desk, he quickly puts in the wireless ear-pieces he got from Mr. Stark, which would allow him to take on calls while keeping his hands free. Right now, he keeps it in to be in a direct line with FRIDAY as he sits back at his desk. The others are currently at the cafeteria, scrambling together some dinner. Peter would join them, but he’s forgotten to bring money along.

“ _Mr. Stark isn’t allowing any phone calls, either,”_ FRIDAY suddenly adds without Peter having to ask for it. The teenager hums while leaning back in his chair.

“FRIDAY, are you trying to tell me something?” he asks instead, looking at the ceilig.

_“I cannot discuss the state Mr. Stark is currently in,”_ FRIDAY answers, sounding a bit… pushy?

“And you can’t let me in?”

“ _Negative_.”

Peter sighs and pulls his hand away from his face, taking a good look at everything happening around him.

“Can you maybe call Steve Rogers for me?” Peter starts. In the past few weeks, he’s seen a lot more of the man. They don’t talk a lot, but they’re friendly to each other and Steve always smiles at him. The reason for their limited contact is probably because he and Mr. Stark are practically avoiding each other, which Peter thinks sucks. He’d always thought Cap and Mr. Stark were very good friends.

“ _Calling,”_ FRIDAY says, and Peter hears the dialing tone coming up in his ear. He pulls his hood over his head and leans his elbows on his desk as he waits for the man to pick up.

“ _This is Steve Rogers,”_ suddenly comes up. Peter takes a deep breath and then sighs.

“Hi, it’s Peter,” he starts. “I’m sorry for calling you, but I have a bit of an issue here.”

_“Tell me_ ,” Steve says.

“FRIDAY just came to tell me that Mr. Stark is in his penthouse, having locked everybody out and accepting no phone-calls at all. Should I be worried?” Peter asks. Steve stays quiet for a moment.

“ _Have you tried to get FRIDAY to open the door?”_ Steve asks. Peter shakes his head, despite the fact that Steve can’t see it.

“She doesn’t allow it,” Peter answers. There’s a sigh coming from the other side of the line, and then some shuffling noises.

“ _I’m on my way. Try and see if you can open de door in any way?”_ Steve asks. Peter nods and gets off his chair, resting his hands back in the pockets of his hoodie as he starts walking towards the door. He knows he’s looking like he’s up to no good if he’s walking around like this, but people know him by now.

Peter notices the people coming back up from their dinner break. Some greet him, relieved from their small moment of free time. Peter just nods at them as he waits for everybody to step out of the elevator. When the last person comes out, Peter startles upon seeing her red hair.

“Michelle, hi,” Peter says, not really _happy_ upon seeing her since all she does is glare at him. Even now she’s giving him her death-stare.

“You’re up to something,” Michelle says, putting her hands in the pockets of her pants as she leans against the elevator, not seeming interested in getting out.

“Not at all?” Peter says, raising his hands in an innocent gesture. He’s only planning on getting to the Penthouse and try and coax Mr. Stark in open the door, that’s all.

“Then what’s with the sneaky outfit? Not so sneaky, by the way.”

“I was just cold,” Peter counters before pulling the hood off his head. “Listen, I just need to use the elevator for a moment, do you mind?”

“Dinner break is already over. You lost your chance for a break,” Michelle returns. Peter sighs and rolls his eyes up to the ceiling. _FRIDAY help me,_ he thinks to himself. Then as if the AI listened to his thoughts, her voice comes up in the air.

“ _Miss Jones, there’s a phone-call waiting for you at your desk_ ,” FRIDAY lies – or does she – causing for Michelle to step back and look at the ceiling with a frown.

“You’re kidding me, right?” she asks.

“ _I’m afraid not,”_ FRIDAY continues. Michelle then looks down and sighs again, giving Peter another glare before getting out of the elevator. As she steps away, Peter quickly jumps inside, watching the doors close before he can even push the button.

“That was close, thank you,” Peter mutters, leaning back and seeing his reflection in the mirror.

“ _How do you plan on getting inside?”_ FRIDAY asks. Peter hums in thought, looking down at his shoes as he tries to come up with some things.

“You sure I can’t ask you to let me in?” he tries.

“ _I’m sorry, I cannot ignore an order coming from Mr. Stark,”_ FRIDAY responds. Peter sighs again before pulling his hood back up. He doesn’t know why he does it, it’s not even that cold.

Once the elevator announces that he’s up, Peter steps through the doors and looks around for a bit. There’s only one large door that he sees; the only entrance to the Penthouse that he knows of – except for maybe the balcony, but Peter’s not ready to try that one out again.

He comes to stand in front of the door, seeing that there’s no way to open it the normal way. A quick glance around makes him realize quickly that a code is needed to get in. Peter lets out a long breath as he leans forward a bit, trying to make out the numbers that have been pressed the most times.

“ _Only Mr. Stark’s code will allow entrance,”_ FRIDAY says.

“Does anybody know this code?”

“ _No, everybody allowed in here has their own,”_ she answers. Figures, the guy really thinks everything through. He can maybe try to hack it? But then again, this is _Stark_ they’re talking about. There’s no way a kid can get through that, no matter if they’re sharing the same DNA.

“How long until Steve arrives?”

“ _Approximate ten minutes,”_ FRIDAY answers. Peter bites his lip, pulling out his cellphone and checking the time. Ten minutes, okay. He can find something in ten minutes, right?

Maybe he _should_ go through the balcony? He can easily jump down from the roof, get inside through there. It would just be written off as a very daring and risky move?

But, no, they would ask too many questions if he would do that. Sure, he can survive the drop – or he could just crawl down – but any other kid would end up with broken bones, and he can’t fake that. It’s not a good idea at all.

Seven minutes. Crap, Peter needs to come up with something _now_!

“Breaking through the door?” Peter asks out loud.

“ _It’s made of reinforced materials, and even if you would break it, the alarm will only go off.”_

“FRIDAY, I know you have to listen to Mr. Stark here, but you asked me for help; you could help me out a bit in return, you know?”

“ _I cannot assist you in getting inside; it goes against my protocols.”_

“Yeah, but how else am I going to do it?” Peter asks, throwing his arms in the air.

“ _You are a Stark. I’m sure you can figure it out.”_

But he’s not; he’s not a Stark, he only shares the same blood with one. Had he been born in normal circumstances, sure, he’d be Peter Stark instead of Peter Parker. But it is what it is now; Peter can call himself Mr. Stark’s son all he wants, he’ll always stay a Parker.

He owes his dad at least that much.

Steve arrives even earlier than FRIDAY had predicted. When Peter hears the doors from the elevator ‘ping’ again, he turns around to see the Captain walk out, looking angry and scared at the same time. The moment he sees Peter standing there, he runs up to him.

“Any luck?” he asks, but Peter shakes his head.

“No, none so far,” Peter answers in defeat.

But then FRIDAY’s words make him think. _You are a Stark_. Did she not once mention ‘Stark’s heirs’? How Mr. Stark’s offspring would be equally in control of FRIDAY as he is. With a soft gasp, he thinks that he’s figured it out.

“FRIDAY, override code B498-1-Stark-J-543,” he says, knowing the code by heart even though he’s only read it once. His heart is already beating faster than it should in the situation; especially when he promised himself he would only use this one in case of danger.

Steve gives him a strange look as he speaks, and Peter feels his face redden. He only wished he’d figure it out before Steve got there. Now the man might ask questions as to how Peter even knows this code.

“ _Override accepted,”_ FRIDAY says.

“Let us inside, please,” Peter says, voice shivering all of the sudden. If FRIDAY would stimulate him in using the codes, that could only mean that there’s something incredibly wrong, right?

The moment the doors open, Cap pushes inside without hesitation, calling out for Mr. Stark before Peter can even walk in. Peter waits for a few more seconds, trying to calm himself down. Then he looks up at the ceiling.

“I hate that you made me do that, FRIDAY,” Peter admits.

“ _I’m sorry Mr. Parker.”_

It’s best not to dwell on it. Peter takes his first step inside of the penthouse, looking around and seeing what looks like a wreckage – as if the Hulk had been walking around here and stumbled against everything. Peter’s mouth falls open, surprised at how completely different it looks from the last time he’s been here.

“Oh my God, Tony!”

Peter’s head turns to the side, searching for the source of that sound. It comes from the door that Peter suspects is Mr. Stark’s bedroom. Immediately, he starts walking forward, only to stop in his tracks immediately afterwards.

Does he want to see what’s going on there?

“How many did you take?” Steve asks, sounding panicked. Peter finds himself frozen in place after that. If Steve is reacting like this, it surely isn’t good.

“Whazzit tyou?” Mr. Stark’s slurred voice asks. Peter’s heart breaks a little, especially when he thinks back of yesterday, the way Mr. Stark assure Steve that he was fine.

Clearly, he’s not.

“Tony, how much did you take?”

Peter swallows, forcing himself to walk forward a bit, but still not arriving at the door before he stops himself once more.

“Y’know Cap, is no use at’ll,” Mr. Stark says. “There’ssssno leg-cy fffor ma compny.”

“Tony,” Steve starts. Peter takes another step.

“’m gonn be alone for the rest of m’life.”

“You don’t know that, Tony,” Steve assures him. Peter is almost at the door. “Now please, tell me how much you took?”

There’s a moment of silence. Peter can finally see what’s happening as he stands at the doorway. There he sees Steve, kneeling down on the ground while holding Mr. Stark’s face in his hands.

Mr. Stark looks downright horrible; his hair is all over the place, even from where Peter his standing he can smell the alcohol. The dark circles under his eyes look even worse than before, and his cheeks are wet; probably from the tears that are rolling down.

Peter’s heart breaks when he sees this. How could the man make such a turn in behavior? Yesterday he looked completely fine, and now here he is, lying in bed after what looks like a possible suicide-attempt.

“Jus’ a handful,” Mr. Stark then answers, lowering his head a bit forward until it’s leaning against Steve’s. The Captain breathes out heavily and lets go of Mr. Stark’s face, instead wrapping his arms around him in a strong hug. Then he turns around and looks at Peter.

“Can you please ask FRIDAY to prepare the suit? I need to fly him out of here,” Steve says. Peter nods with an effort, but before he can open his mouth, FRIDAY already answers for him.

“ _Mark 51 is on its way_ ,” she says. Steve nods once more before pulling back a little bit. Peter can see Mr. Stark grabbing Steve’s shirt, as if afraid to let him go. With a deep sigh, Peter steps forward and takes Mr. Stark’s hand into his own. Then Steve steps back to take out his own phone. In the background, Peter can hear him call after Dr. Cho, asking her to prepare the operating room at the Compound and explaining what exactly happened.

“You’re not alone, Mr. Stark,” Peter then says, trying to mute away the sound of the phone-call. He squeezes Mr. Stark’s hand, trying to smile at him but wondering if he’s actually managing it. There are tears rolling down his cheeks, too.

“I didn’t know you were there,” Mr. Stark mutters out. He rolls around until his face is pressed against the pillow. Whatever he says next is muffled, but Peter can still understand it. “I would’ve helped y’out. Would’ve protected her.”

Peter doesn’t know what else to say, knowing that a lot would have been different hat Mr. Stark known that Peter was there. Even thinking he was Richard Parker’s son, Peter is sure Mr. Stark would have looked out for them.

“The suit’s here,” Steve says, walking back to them and leaning forward a bit. Peter nods and lets go of Mr. Stark’s hand, allowing the Super Soldier to pick the man up and carry him back to where Mark 51 is waiting, open. After some difficulty, Steve manages to put Mr. Stark inside. Then he looks back at Peter.

“Can you use that override code of yours to get FRIDAY to send us back to the Compound?” he asks. Peter nods, instructing FRIDAY to do so, then, and receiving an affirmative. Then, after a short goodbye and a quick thanks, the two are off, the suit holding Mr. Stark inside and carrying Steve along for the flight. Peter watches them go until he can’t see them anymore.

“ _I am sorry you had to see all this, Mr. Parker,”_ FRIDAY then says. Peter shakes his head.

“Just make sure that they don’t kill him,” he answers surprised at how even his voice sounds. Then he clears his throat and looks around. “I’ll better clean it up a little bit.”

And with FRIDAY’s help, Peter starts picking stuff off the ground. There’s still a lot to do.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s probably an understatement to say that Tony feels like crap when he wakes up.

He knows that he’s not in his room; the colder temperature coming from the air-conditioning makes that clear enough, along with the various sounds that come along with it.

Tony can hear breathing; there’s somebody else in the room with him. He can hear something that sounds like a pump, starting up in regular intervals and going on for about ten minutes before stopping again. Then there’s voices in the back, somebody moving very close to him. Door closing and opening again.

Tony knows that he’s in the medical department of the Facility, and he remembers well enough why.

Shame, that’s probably the first thing he’s feeling. Only two days ago did he tell Cap that he was alright, that he wouldn’t do anything stupid. But then Pepper came to pick up the last of her stuff, and Tony was once again reminded of how alone he actually is.

Looking up old pictures of Mary didn’t particularly help, either.

What he doesn’t know, really, is how he got here. He’s sure that his self-destructing tendencies have caused for him to shut everybody out of the penthouse, but somehow somebody managed to get inside and get him out of there, and Tony’s very sure that person is not FRIDAY. She hadn’t even been allowed to call for help.

“Tony?”

That’s Cap, Tony is sure of it. He tries to open his eyes but the light is too much. As he wrinkles his nose, he feels that there’s another tube pushed through it. Crap, that hadn’t been comfortable the last time back in Afghanistan. Out of reflex, Tony reaches up to pull it out, only to have a strong hand stop him.

“That needs to stay in,” Cap says, and Tony grunts in annoyance, throwing his head back and breathing out heavily. Then he makes another attempt at opening his eyes, blinking more often than not as he tries to adjust to the light around him. The first thing he sees is Steve sitting in a chair next to him.

He wants to speak, but his throat is hoarse and hurts when he tries. Instead, he tries to swallow and shakes his head.

“Dr. Cho and her team pumped your stomach empty after I took you in. She’s pretty angry, by the way. Everybody is.”

Tony grunts and closes his eyes again when he feels some tears form in his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths, biting on his lower lip while Cap speaks.

“Peter called me up, he said that FRIDAY was acting weird. We found you upstairs, but you pretty much destroyed the penthouse.”

“Ho-“ Tony starts to say, but his throat once again protests. Then he swallows once more and tries again. “How did you get in?” he whispers. He sees Cap shrug next to him.

“I don’t know,” the man admits. Now that Tony’s really looking, he can see how tired Steve really is. His eyes drop shut every few seconds, and his hair is messy. He looks like he’s been here all night without taking a moment to rest. “The kid, Peter, I think he hacked FRIDAY or something. Suddenly she opened the door.”

Tony frowns but then decides not to worry about that right now. It’s not his biggest concern right now, though he might have to keep a closer watch on the kid if he can manage to bypass FRIDAY’s system.

“I’m-“ he begins, but then he starts coughing, his sentence dying on his tongue. Steve quickly puts his hand behind Tony’s back and pushes him forward until he’s sitting up. Then he gently taps his back.

“I know you’re sorry,” Steve says calmly. “I’m sorry, too. I knew you weren’t alright, but I didn’t do anything.”

“You tried,” Tony gets out in between coughs. Steve shakes his head.

“I didn’t do enough.” Then, as Tony recovers again from the sudden fit, Steve pulls his hand away, leaning back against the chair he’s put next to Tony’s bed. “But that’s going to change now.”

“Let me guess,” Tony starts. “I’m grounded from any field work?”

Steve gives him a strange look, not giving anything away about what he thinks of it.

“I think that’s for the best,” he then says after a long pause. Tony nods, understanding where he’s coming from. Using the Iron Man armor surely isn’t the best idea at all right now. He’s too powerful over FRIDAY, and if he would be in actual danger, she wouldn’t be able to help him.

Except, she seems to have found a loophole in the Parker-kid. That sneaky girl…

“And I know you hate it, but you really _can’t_ be alone. You need somebody around you, for your own safety,” Steve adds. Tony rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“No, I don’t need a babysitter,” he protests. “Besides, the kid is going to be around most of the time.”

“The kid doesn’t count,” Steve retorts. “There’s also no choice in the matter. The others have already agreed and are working out a schedule on who will take which shift.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Tony complains, turning his head back and eyes peeled on the ceiling. The team already barely takes him seriously, and now they can add this to the list of ‘why Tony Stark isn’t fit to be an Avenger’. So far, the creation of Ultron is on the top of said list.

“We can’t help you if you won’t let us, Tony,” Steve adds. “You scared the kid. I don’t know why he suddenly got into your radar, but in some way you must care for him. Think of how he must have felt to see his idol in that position?”

Peter… the poor kid. Tony’s almost sure he’ll want nothing to do with him anymore. Tony is supposed to be a mentor, somebody to learn from. He even gave the kid a speech about how things will get better. What’s he supposed to think now?

“He’s Mary’s son,” Tony then says lowly, eyes stinging again from fresh tears. Keep them in!

“Who’s Mary?” Steve asks. Tony then chuckles despite himself, shaking his head again.

“Mary Parker, the first woman I loved. We were good friends, but I screwed it up,” Tony explains. When Steve stays quiet, he takes that as his cue to start explaining.

And so he tells him of how they started working together, bringing biology and technology together as they started to think about creating better medical equipment. It was something Tony did in between creating the weapons for Stark Industries.

He had always known that Mary didn’t like him as much as he liked her, so he kept it to himself, sleeping around in an attempt to forget about it. Obviously, that never worked.

He tells about the day that Mary met Richard, how her mood changed completely, making her happier all the time. Peter liked her that way, so despite the heartache he felt, he congratulated her when she announced they were together.

Then he explains about the night they both got drunk; the time that Richard had pushed her buttons too much, and she had been this close to just end the relationship. How they started drinking, and then kissing, and eventually ended up in bed together.

Steve listens without interrupting him. He nods when it’s required, and stays by Tony’s side the entire time. When Tony’s finished with admitting that Mary died, Steve looks down sadly before letting out a deep breath.

“The reason I suddenly want the kid closer is not because he’s Mary’s son, particularly,” Tony then adds carefully. “If anything, it stings seeing him all the time as a reminder that she shut me out of her life completely.”

“Then why do you do this to yourself?” Steve asks. Tony just shrugs.

“The kid’s lost so much,” Tony explains. “His parents, his uncle, his first girlfriend even died because of the Goblin – yeah, that’s the casualty we were told about. A freakin’ sixteen-year-old girl.”

“Oh God…”

“The kid can’t take much more. Got depression and PTSD, barely got any money, and an Aunt that works day and night to provide for him.”

Steve nods, face looking serious, if not a little pained.

“Then I need you to realize, Tony, that if he can’t take much more, you shouldn’t put him into that position,” Steve suddenly says sternly. “He held up pretty good, last night, but even I could see that he wasn’t handling it very well internally.”

Tony stays quiet, turning his head to the side once more.

“Who’s got the first shift of babysitting me?” Tony then asks, realizing that he’s got no other option other than to agree to it. Just after he’s finished his sentence, the door opens, revealing none other than Natasha.

“Steve, you go to bed, I’ll take over” she says without even looking at Tony. Steve sighs but stands up, giving Tony one last glance before heading towards the door. When he passes Natasha, the woman stops him shortly to give him a light kiss on the cheek. Then she whispers something to him, which Tony can’t hear.

Once Steve is gone and Nat has taken his place on the chair, the woman fishes out a pair of cards and starts distributing them.

“Shall we play?” she asks, and Tony nods, grateful for the distraction she’s offering.

 

* * *

 

 

They’re keeping it quiet, Peter notices quickly enough.

There’s no news on what happened the evening before. Nothing on TV, nothing in the newspapers. Nobody even mentions it online. It’s as if nothing has happened.

Peter knows better, of course; he’s spent until almost midnight to clean up the Penthouse – despite FRIDAY telling him not to do it – and only stopped when a furious Aunt May called him back up, in search for him.

The next day, Peter finds himself at school, but he figures out quickly enough that he might as well have been a ghost. He pays attention as much as he can, and he makes the exercises they’re giving him, but everything people tell him goes right over his head.

It’s probably better this way, rather than having to hear the insults they’ve prepared for him today.

Ned comes to him during lunch, asking him what is wrong. He even gets a strange look from this Michelle-girl – who is apparently on his school as well, what are the odds? Teachers often have to pull him out of his thoughts, and he almost got himself another detention, but eventually the day is finished and he gets to go home again.

According to the schedule Mr. Stark had made for him, he doesn’t need to show up today. Of course, he knows he’s not going to stay home at all. He needs to know if everything is alright; did they do the right thing there, yesterday?

Peter starts to walk towards the subway, but that’s when he notices it; the motorcycle. He’s ridden on it before, recognizing the reinforced tires on the wheels. Peter walks towards it, searching for its driver but not seeing him at all.

“Ah, Peter!” it comes from far away, but when Peter focuses on the source, he can see Steve running up to him, a cap on his head and wearing a hoodie that doesn’t even fit him at all. “I’ve been searching for you!”

“Everything alright?” Peter asks, a bit concerned as to why Steve would drive all the way here. The man just nods and lets out a small chuckle.

“He’s awake, just his typical self, I would say. A bit annoyed that a teenager managed to hack FRIDAY somehow, of course,” Steve says with a laugh, but Peter sees that it doesn’t reach his eyes. Steve looks exhausted, to say the least.

“Can I see him?” Peter asks, knowing that he’s sounding extremely hopeful here. Steve gives him a long look before nodding.

“If you want to, but you got to take this,” he says, taking out a helmet for his motorcycle. Peter takes it without complaining, putting it on and securing it on his head. Then he follows Steve onto the vehicle, listening to the instructions the man is giving him even though Peter remembers them from the last time.

With his hands grabbing hold of Steve’s jacket, and his head pressed against Steve’s back, the two drive away, towards the facility.

Peter watches everything pass him by in a blur. Steve respects the road-laws – of course he does – and never drives faster than allowed. He stops at every red sign, and always warns Peter whenever they’re riding on something bumpy. The drive itself takes around fifteen minutes.

He knows they’re nearing the compound when he sees the trees around him again. In his head, Peter starts to think of possible scenarios that could happen here; would Mr. Stark be happy to see him? Would he start crying ant apologize? He might as well start shouting at him for even being here, for using override-codes on FRIDAY. Codes he doesn’t even know Peter has.

Steve guides him inside, but by now Peter knows his way around. Especially de medical-wing. As he sees Dr. Cho pass him by, he looks away despite the fact that she won’t even recognize him. There are even more doctors and nurses in here, as if the compound has its own hospital-wing –which Peter wouldn’t too surprised about, of course. They’re talking about Mr. Stark, after all.

Steve opens up a door for him, nodding inside as a gesture for Peter to move forward. Peter hesitates only a little bit before clearing his throat and getting in.

There’s only one bed in here, so it’s not too difficult to spot Mr. Stark. He’s already sitting up, an IV still attached to his arm but otherwise nothing else medical-wise connected to him. He’s pale, and a bit sweaty, but there’s a smile on his face as he’s swinging around a spoon full of what seems like pudding.

Next to him sits Vision, who is listening to whatever story Mr. Stark is telling him. He seems actually interested in it, and Peter can’t help but smile a little bit about that. Behind him, Steve clears his throat, catching their attention. Then Vision stands up, passing his hand over his dark blue shirt before getting back to the door.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” he says, and he follows Steve out of the room, closing the door behind him and thus leaving Peter alone with Mr. Stark.

The smile he had on his face while talking to Vision is now gone, but much to Peter’s relief he doesn’t seem angry at all. He nods towards the seat next to his bed, and pushes his table aside. Peter can see that the little pot of pudding is already empty.

“Uh, hi Mr. Stark,” Peter says, waving his hand awkwardly at him while shuffling a bit closer.

“Mr. Parker,” Mr. Stark nods calmly. Peter reaches the chair and carefully sits down, eyes never leaving the man in front of him. What’s going to happen now? Is he going to get it? Or is Mr. Stark going to spare him?

“I’m almost finished with the arc reactor, sir,” Peter suddenly blurts out nervously. Mr. Stark’s eyebrow goes up in surprise, and there’s a light smirk on his lips. Peter feels his face redden immediately. “I mean, I’m still missing the specific element; FRIDAY told me that only you are in possession of it so I thought I’d ask you-“

“Parker, take a breath,” Mr. Stark suddenly says in a chuckle, holding up his hand in a stop-gesture. Peter then closes his mouth and listens to him. “Do you have it here?”

Peter nods, thinking back of how he put it in his bag yesterday. He didn’t take it out after that, too distracted to even do that. Then he picks up his bag from the ground, opens it up, and carefully takes out the box where he keeps the reactor. Mr. Stark looks at him silently as he works.

“Show me,” he says as soon as Peter opens the box, and then the teenager hands it to him, allowing Mr. Stark to finally look at the thing that according to everybody is impossible to make unless you’re a Stark or a Vanko. Luckily, Peter fits that description, even though nobody knows it.

Mr. Stark seems impressed as he looks at the base of the reactor. So far, it’s not working because of the missing ‘badassium’, but Peter is sure that even like this Mr. Stark can figure out if it’s good or not.

“Looks alright to me,” Mr. Stark then says, sounding full of disbelief. “CAAAAAAP!”

Peter startles when he suddenly starts shouting after Steve. The door immediately opens again, showing Steve with a worried face as he tries to figure out what’s wrong. Tony gestures for him to come closer.

“Cap, back at my workshop there’s a safe in the left-side of the room – FRIDAY will open it for you. Can you then take _one_ of the blue boxes you can find inside, along with a pincer?”

Steve frowns at him, but then sighs and nods, leaving the room again. Tony puts the arc reactor down and seems to look everywhere but at Peter. The teenager wants to ask how he’s doing, if he’s already doing better, but Peter knows it won’t be that easy.

Mr. Stark might behave like there’s nothing wrong right now, but Peter saw him yesterday. Even if it was the alcohol mostly talking for him, whatever he spoke about must be something that is bothering him to this day.

“You’ve got something on your mind, kid?” Mr. Stark suddenly asks, startling Peter and breaking him out of his train of thought. He wants to deny it, to say that he’s alright, but he knows he would be lying. Is it now that he should tell him? Is it the right time to admit it?

Maybe not, he figures. If anything, Peter is afraid that he’ll make it worse, instead. Better to keep it quiet.

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Peter answers truthfully. He can’t lose his father before the man even knows they’re related. And he would rather not lose him afterwards, either.

“Well, ‘alright’ is not exactly the word I’d use, Peter,” Mr. Stark says, and Peter feels something warm inside of him at the mention of his name. “But I get what you mean. I’m… glad, too.”

Peter stays quiet after that, looking down at his hands as he waits for Cap to return. His fingers are tangled together, and his lips pressed into a thin line while his foot shakes up and down.

“Listen, Peter, I’m sorry that you had so see me like that,” Mr. Stark suddenly starts surprising Peter once again. He’d never think that the man was capable of apologizing to anybody, ever. “I’ve never been called professional before, but this has been an all new low for me. Drunk me is obviously an ass.”

Then Mr. Stark sighs and looks back up, eyes meeting Peter’s.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he then says. “I’m still working on that new suit. How about you help me out with it? That way it’ll get finished sooner, and you can give it your input as well.”

Excitement is not an emotion Peter would have expected to feel today, but as it is, he can’t help but express it. His lips curl up in a wide smile, his heart beats faster, and his hands suddenly grab on to the bed next to him as he jumps up in his seat.

“Yes! A thousand times yes, Mr. Stark!” He almost cries out. Then he realizes he’s being a bit too loud here, and he pulls back a little bit. “I mean, I would love to assist you in building it.”

“No, not assist,” Mr. Stark says, shaking his head. “Teamwork.” Then the man winks at him, and Peter laughs. Before either can say anything more, the door opens and Steve walks back inside, holding a blue box in his hand that looks about the size of Peter’s fist.

This must be the ‘badassium’, Peter figures. He watches as Steve puts it down on Mr. Stark’s bed, who opens the box and takes the pincer into his hand. Then he nods towards Peter.

“Open up that reactor of yours, huh?” he asks, and Peter jumps in action, taking the Arc Reactor back from where Mr. Stark dropped it, and then fumbles with it a little bit until it’s open. Instead of taking it over from Peter, Mr. Stark just directs the glowing blue triangle towards the open latch inside the reactor. Peter looks at it with a mouth fallen open, aware that Steve is still standing there and observing as well.

“Here, you should do the honors,” Mr. Stark suddenly says, handing the pincer to Peter.

“Really?” Peter asks, but he still takes it from him. Then, with all the gentleness he can manage, he slowly lowers the glowing triangle down until it’s put inside safely. When Peter then closes the reactor once again, it suddenly starts to glow.

Shit, it’s going to blow! Peter messed it up!

“Close your eyes, it’s going to get bright for a few seconds,” Mr. Stark warns him, and Peter listens, putting his free hand over his eyes and shielding them from the bright blue glow that surrounds them shortly. Once it’s gone, he opens his eyes again, taking a good look around them.

Well, nobody is dead, which is good.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Steve suddenly says. Peter startles, never really having heard the man swear before – if you can call that swearing, of course.

In Peter’s hand, tere’s a glowing blue Arc Reactor, working just like it’s supposed to.

“This is going to be interesting,” Mr. Stark says, impressed. Peter can only agree.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> \- deppression  
> \- attempted suicide


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings:  
> \- mood swings  
> \- Tony's usual self-hate

They are trying to keep the ‘babysitting’ subtle, but in all honesty, subtlety isn’t exactly the Avenger’s biggest talent.

Whenever it’s Nat’s turn, she just sits down on a chair and starts looking around on her tablet, only paying attention to Tony whenever he raises his voice in annoyance whenever something doesn’t work right – which is quite often since the kid – Tony should just call him Peter now, to keep it simple – has practically been begging to bring Dum-E back here. Somehow, the two do kind of work good together.

Wanda doesn’t pay too much attention to Tony, instead talking with Peter and making jokes together. For a moment, even Tony had wondered if there’s anything going on between the two, but after asking a very embarrassed Peter about it, the only thing he got in return was a stuttered and panicked answer that contains the message as: ‘we’re just good friends!’, which is maybe better since there’s still that thing between Wanda and Vision.

Rhodey just bugs Tony in that caring way he always does. Where others give up after asking Tony to do something, Rhodey just keeps on asking until Tony either does it because it’s driving him crazy, or until he starts swearing, leading to a shouting match between the two until they both stop and start laughing it out on the floor. They try not to do the latter whenever Peter is present, though.

Sam is more or less the same, but he’s only focused on one thing, exactly; his wings. When he has his turn as the ‘babysitter’, he starts asking all sorts of questions of his wings; what exactly did Tony add last time, what is he planning on adding now? What are his ideas for the future? How about laser-wings instead of metal ones? Each time Sam’s shift is over, Tony is about ready to throw the wings out of the building.

Vision is friendly and trying to be helpful, but the fact that he sounds like JARVIS does confuse him sometimes, especially when his jokes are never met with the same sarcastic retort JARVIS would normally bring.

Clint sleeps. There’s nothing much to add about that. He gets into the workshop, suggests that, if Tony wants to get drunk he’ll join him, and then lies down on the couch and takes a nap, telling Tony to wake him up if he needs him.

And then there’s Cap.

Cap is everywhere. He takes the most shifts, but also the longest ones. He stands next to Tony whenever he’s working on small things, ready to hand him whatever materials he needs next. When he can’t help, he sits down on the couch and starts drawing stuff – stuff he never lets Tony see, which makes the inventor even more curious.

Steve stares. Sometimes he thinks Tony doesn’t notice it, and he’ll just look away after a while.

Sometimes, he _does_ realize Tony notices, and he’ll turn bright red from shame, drawing down furiously in his sketchbook and avoiding his look for the rest of the hour.

He’s the reminder that he needs to go to sleep. The reminder that he should take his pills at regular hours. His reminder that he’s not a machine and still needs to eat. In a way, he takes care of Tony in a manner that Tony’s not really used to. Sure, his mother took care of him, and Jarvis did, too, back when he was still alive. Even Aunt Peggy took care of him for a while after his parent’s deaths.

But that’s so long ago, and Tony is not a healthy being. Doing things so regularly like this feels weird – not bad, but weird. 

It is not limited to Steve when it comes to the fear of Tony doing stupid things. All the Avengers are alert the entire time they’re with him, listening to what he’s doing and how he’s reacting to things. Whenever things seem to be going a little less okay, they react.

Natasha, Rhodey and Steve talk him through it. The others just call Steve.

Between five and nine, the workshop is filled with three people instead of two. Peter joins him in his workshop every day now, working alongside him on the new suit that Tony’s preparing. Who it is for, he rather keeps a secret for now, but he’s sure that Peter will notice who will be wearing it. It would be hard to miss, especially if he worked on it alongside him.

Tony is very pleased with Peter’s work. He tries hard, does his best, and shows much promise in everything that he does. Every time Tony thinks that he’s given him the impossible – well, impossible for a teenage kid or any ‘normal’ person but not for him – the kid keeps on proving him wrong by doing just that.

He comes up with new ideas, suggests improvements Tony hadn’t even thought of, and makes jokes with Dum-E. These jokes are, of course, mostly about the bot. Being donated to charity, that is. Or anything else Tony has ever threatened Dum-E with in the past years.

It’s weird to see them work so good together, but on the other hand Tony finds some relief in it as well; there aren’t many who are able (or willing) to work with the bot. Others have even suggested tuning up his programming, but Tony has always disagreed to that. Changing his programming would change the Bot. It wouldn’t be Dum-E anymore.

Besides, it’s not like U and Butterfingers aren’t a lost cause, either.

During the days, things are going fine. During the night a bit less. Tony is haunted by nightmares, memories he thought he’d suppressed but are actually following him now. Afghanistan, New York, Pepper falling to her death… Sometimes he’s greeted with images of a life he used to dream to have with Mary. Sometimes it’s Pepper, and there’s a kid involved.

But sometimes it’s dreams of Peter. Mostly of the kid disappointed in him for some reason, but sometimes with the kid being in danger, chased by the Goblin – who they _still_ haven’t caught, by the way – or taken by the aliens. Somehow, it’s those dreams that scare him the most.

As the days pass by, the weeks go forth, Tony can’t help but feel somehow attached to the kid. Somehow, he recognizes so much of himself in Peter, it’s almost scary. There are a few of Mary’s quirks in there, too – the lighter shade of hair in comparison to his own (but still dark on itself), the pale skin, the nervous tapping with the fingers on the table. Tony notices it all. He’s never met Richard Parker to be able to make a comparison.

Peter has potential, and right now it’s growing so much. Tony just hopes he can teach him all he knows before he, like his mother, realizes that he shouldn’t waste his time on him.

 

* * *

 

 

Mr. Stark is low again today.

His mood changes from day to day. Though usually he keeps up a good front, cracking jokes and laughing whenever possible, there are days where he can’t keep it up and it all goes downhill. That usually means that he’s quiet, barely paying attention, and sometimes just leaving the workshop with the excuse of splashing water in his face.

Depending on who is guarding Mr. Stark, there’s reaction to said behavior. Widow usually just talks him down, giving him the hard facts and then playing in on his guilt. Where Peter wouldn’t have thought that would work, it does prove effective on the man.

Rhodey just sits him down and asks about what’s wrong. They usually sit on the couch while Peter keeps on working. On very few occasions did they tell Peter it’s better to go, since there won’t be anything they’ll do anymore on that day. Whenever that was the case, Peter used his sudden free time swinging through New York’s streets and searching for the bad guys.

Steve is much like Rhodey, but there’s something different about it. He’s much more tactile, Peter notices early on. There’s always a hand on the shoulder, on the back. Sometimes Steve even pulls him into an embrace and starts stroking through Mr. Stark’s hair. It’s weird to see it like that.

Not that Peter minds, of course; he only wants the best for Mr. Stark. But even Peter notices the way Steve is around him. Always trying to touch, but also trying not to touch too much. He’s always worried, calling out for Mr. Stark whenever he only sneezes even. Peter has made multiple mental notes that he should ask Yaël about it, since she seems to know Steve a lot more than Peter does.

He’s been at Stark Industries for almost two months now, but he’s spent most of his time at the Avenger’s facility, helping Mr. Stark create this new suit for that new recruit he’s got his eyes on. Peter still doesn’t really know who it’s supposed to be, but he knows that he’s a tad bit jealous of the person getting this.

After the form-fitting fabric has been perfected and sent away for dyeing, Mr. Stark put Peter to work on some sort of holographic wrist display that will be added to the suit later on. With the help of the inventor, Peter put together a GPS tracking-system, along with a prototype for a small recon-drone.  But, as usual, while Peter helps with the basics, Mr. Stark keeps him out of the final product.

The next thing Peter was tasked with were some sort of displays in eye-lenses, which will allow the person wearing it to see multiple images in front of him. This could help with calculations, zooming in on specific objects, or focusing on one certain aspect. Peter once more helped Mr. Stark – though Peter is sure the man doesn’t really need his help – and once Peter tried them on, they, too, were taken away.

He shouldn’t be so bothered about it, but he can’t help it; it’s his creation as much as Mr. Starks. He may not have come up with all the ideas, but he helped build it. The person wearing it shouldn’t be told that _Tony Stark_ made this alone.

Of course, Peter can’t complain. Well, he does, of course, but the moment he’s standing next to Mr. Stark, whichever speech he’s prepared today quickly disappears as the words die in his mouth, and he’s finding himself once more holding a screwdriver in his hands while looking down on the next invention.

He’s even less inclined to speak up on the days Mr. Stark isn’t feeling too well. Today is one of those days.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asks when he sees that the man hasn’t moved in the past hour. He’s leaning forward on his desk, head resting on his hands and elbows on the table. At first, Peter thought he had been sleeping, but after walking by a few times he saw that his eyes were open. Whatever it is, it seems to be taking all of his attention.

“Peter? What’s wrong?” Steve suddenly asks. Of course he does; from where Steve is sitting, he, too, would think that Mr. Stark is sleeping. How could he even suspect that it’s not that?

Peter doesn’t say anything, only pointing towards Mr. Stark and then shrugging to indicate he doesn’t know what’s going on. Steve puts his sketchbook away carefully and then stands up again.

“Tony?” he asks. There’s no answer. Peter decides to leave them be. He just lets Steve do his thing and resumes his work on the program he’s working on. Mr. Stark gave him a code earlier today, and then told Peter to try and finish it. According to him, it’s supposed to be an AI, much like FRIDAY is. Peter isn’t really sure what he’s supposed to do – especially if Mr. Stark is spacing out again today – but he think he’ll manage.

Peter decides that the best way for him to tune the two out is by taking out his headphones and start playing some music. When he looks down on his phone to select a song, he notices a message.

_-You got the weekend off?_

Peter smirks, realizing he hasn’t been spending much time with his new friends lately. Sure, Wade still stalks him daily, and he gets to see Wanda almost every other day, but Yaël’s been pretty absent from his life the past few weeks.

He wishes he could say it wasn’t his fault, but he knows it is. The combination of school, the internship _and_ the crime-fighting really makes it tough to talk to some people.

In only a matter of seconds does Peter reply, saying that, yes, he’s got the weekend off for a change. He’s already planned on spending one of those two days with Aunt May at the museum, but other than that he’s got 24 hours more of freedom before school and the internship start again.

As he arranges on hanging out with them on Sunday, Peter looks up for a bit where he can see Mr. Stark and Steve talking to each other. He’s really dying to know what they’re talking about, but it’s not really his business, right?

He’s keeping his music up, his head down and his hands busy. There’s no reason for him to stop what he’s doing, not even to listen to his father talking to Steve – the man who may or may not have some sort of _feelings_ for his dad.

But right as his song ends, Mr. Stark’s voice gets louder.

“-have to remind myself that he’s not my kid, and that he can leave me just as fast as his mother did!”

Peter looks up in surprise, seeing Mr. Stark pointing at him but not looking, staring Steve right in the eyes. It’s Steve who turns his head to catch a glance on Peter, noticing immediately that Peter must have heard. It can’t be too hard to see; the teenager feels that his eyes are wide, that his mouth has fallen open, that he’s sitting up straight like anybody who just heard something shocking.

Even as the music starts again, Peter’s hearing is now focused on what the other two are saying, so whatever Steve says next, he hears perfectly.

“He’s already seen you do some pretty crazy stuff, Tony. I don’t think Peter is just going to leave you.”

_Yeah, you tell him, Cap!_ There’s no way that Peter is going to run off! Mr. Stark is his father; the only living relative he has. The last person in his messed-up little family other than Aunt May who is still alive. Peter is not going to let that go.

Maybe he should tell him now, no?

There’s a quiet moment of awkwardness going on there. Mr. Stark isn’t saying anything, Steve keeps his mouth shut, and Peter is just too surprised to speak. It goes on for about a few minutes before Mr. Stark finally speaks up again.

_“_ You know what, forget it. Forget I said anything…” Then he drops his stuff, the mask he’d been using to protect himself from the sparks, and he starts to walk to the door. “I don’t need this shit.”

_“_ Tony _,”_ Steve starts, but Mr. Stark turns around suddenly, pointing towards Steve with an angry expression on his face.

“No, you get to shut up!” he says, voice shaking a little bit. “You don’t know me, Rogers. None of you do. And you may think that watching over me and making sure I’m not doing stupid shit will help me, but I’ve gotten myself out of this crap before without all your help!”

“Peggy can’t help you anymore, not this time,” Steve adds calmly, and Mr. Stark stands still again, face suddenly drained from all the anger and now instead showing shock. When his mouth opens, it seems like he wants to say something again, but then he closes it again, letting out a deep breath and lowering his gaze.

After three more seconds he does a complete turn, and he’s out of the lab, leaving Steve and Peter alone. The super-soldier then looks at Peter with a sad expression on his face, which makes Peter shiver a bit. It seems like, whatever the man was attempting, it failed.

“FRIDAY?”

“ _Yes, Captain Rogers?”_

“Can you make sure he doesn’t do something stupid?”

“ _You know that’s out of my hands, Captain_.”

Steve then shakes his head before rubbing his hand over his brow. He marches back to the couch he had been sitting on, and then picks up his phone and starts dialing a number. Peter takes off the headphones, since they’re not really useful anymore right now. He gets up from his chair, gives Dum-E another pat on the head, and then starts walking towards Mr. Starks worktable.

There, in the middle of the desk, lies a piece of paper. It’s an article, ripped out of what must be like a journal. On the top, there’s a picture of Mr. Stark. It’s an older one, taken by a professional photograph in a studio, where he wears an expensive suit and a watch that must be priceless, with then a subtle shadow of the Iron Man Mask shining over half of his face.

Underneath, there’s a text. Quickly, Peter reads the title.

**_What legacy is there for Stark?_ **

_Eight years ago now, Tony Stark, son of Stark Industries’ founder Howard Stark and currently also known as the hero ‘Iron Man’, shut down the weapons division of his company, causing quite a commotion in the world. What lead him to do this? Who will create the new weapons then? What will happen to SI after this?_

_In the past eight years, a lot has changed; SI now stands or clean energy, and SI also specializes in helicopters and planes, which are now standard use at the US Army. The latest addition to the company’s inventory is even the Stark Phone 3, which came out only a few months back._

_But while it all carries one thing in common, that being the name, it is not Stark that keeps the company running the way it is. That honor can only be given to Mrs. Virginia Potts, Stark’s former assistant and ex-girlfriend. The couple have supposedly broken up around the start of January, according to multiple sources._

_Stark handed his company over into the hands of Potts in 2010, where the whole world used to think it would only be temporary. Yet now, six years later, she still stands taller than ever, almost easily called the most powerful woman of America._

_But that leaves the question for Stark, who has continued his life as the Iron Man, and a member of the Avengers. This is a group of enhanced individuals who have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of danger, but only by endangering other people as well. Even four years after the attack on New York, the city still feels the wounds that were caused by the invasion. Around May, 2015, a battle between the Hulk (also known as the scientist Dr. Bruce Banner) and Iron Man caused half a city in Wakanda to be destroyed._

_Of course, Stark stands in for the damage control, letting his funds be the start to rebuilding the wreck they leave, but is it in any way enough to compensate for all the lives lost?_

_Instead of order, New York gets filled with new wannabe-heroes instead. For example, there’s the figure that is called ‘the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’, a vigilante that protects Hell’s Kitchen from illegal businesses. And in the town self is now the vigilante called ‘Spider-Man’ that has taken it upon himself to rid the street from robbers and thieves._

_Is the appearance of these two individuals the start of something more? And is it the Iron Man that caused them to rise up against the others? With the bloodline ending with him, is this all Stark can offer to the world?_

Peter can’t read the rest of the article when it ends on the page. He’s sure there’s a continuation to it, but it’s not on the backside, and where-ever the journal is, it’s not here. Peter puts it back down and takes a step back from the desk, passing his hand through his hair while resting the other on his hip.

When he came to the idea of getting to know Mr. Stark, he’d never thought it would be this hard to actually _get_ somewhere. Of course he knew beforehand that Mr. Stark is nog an easy person at all, but Peter hadn’t expected the mental illness on top of it. Peter knows how hard it is for Mr. Stark; he’s still recovering from it, too.

He startles when his alarm suddenly goes off, and that’s when Cap’s voice suddenly comes back into his line of hearing.

“Yeah, no, thank you, Rhodey. Talk to you later.”

Peter gets off the chair and hurries back to his desk to stop the alarm. Then he picks up his bag, takes out the little box with the pills, and takes his prescribed dose. Each time he takes the water to swallow them down, he wonders at the same time how many more days it’ll be until he can stop taking them. Given his recent ‘reaction’ a few weeks ago, he knows it won’t be soon.

“Are you alright, Peter?”

Peter startles once more, turning towards Steve and nodding with his mouth still full of water. Then he swallows once more and takes a deep breath.

“I’m fine, Steve. Just,” he holds up the box, “time for these little monsters.”

Steve only frowns a bit when he sees the box, but he doesn’t ask about it. Peter is glad for that as he puts his bottle of water away again, along with all the rest of his stuff.

“You’re leaving?” Steve asks. Peter just shrugs.

“Yeah, my shift is done anyway, and I can’t figure this thing out without Mr. Stark, so I’m kind of stuck,” Peter explains. Picking up his jacket and putting it on, he notices Steve looking around the place before he, too, takes his stuff and hoodie, and follows Peter to the door.

“I’m sorry you have to see all of this all the time, Peter. It’s the medication, they make him react heavily sometimes,” Steve starts to explain when he locks down the workshop behind them. Peter just shrugs.

“Eh, I know how it feels. Drove my Aunt nuts when I started on my first medication; according to her, I was strangely excited about everything. She described it as ‘something coming right out of a horror movie’ or something. We switched meds after a week,” Peter laughs at the memory, thinking back of his Aunt just shrieking out randomly on moments because Peter would just show up without making a sound. Even now, she calls it his ‘demon-phase’.

“It’s not right,” Steve suddenly says. “A kid your age shouldn’t have to take all these chemicals.”

Peter then shrugs again, keeping his eyes away from Steve.

“We can’t choose how our head works, I guess,” Peter responds. “After my uncle died, my aunt grieved, but eventually moved on. Somehow, my head chose not to do that, instead messing with my hormones and deciding not to produce enough serotonin.”

“Yeah, I have no idea what that means,” Steve chuckles.

“I could explain it to you, if you want?” Peter tries. Steve just shakes his head. When they pass Wanda, the two nod at her before continuing their walk.

“Maybe another time. My head is not really into it right now,” the Captain then pardons himself. Peter holds up his hand and then tilts his head a bit to the side.

“It’s fine, Cap,” he says. Then he tightens his grip on his backpack, and nods once more towards Steve the moment they’re standing in front of the door. “I’m glad you’re trying to help him, by the way. He may not realize it, but he needs you more than either of you think.”

Steve doesn’t react other than shifting his head until it’s turned to the other side, gazing into the empty hallway while he puts his hands on his hips.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m not…” Steve starts, but doesn’t finish.

“I’m glad that there’s at least someone who cares about him – a lot,” Peter finishes. Right when Steve turns to look at him with horror written all over his face, Peter opens the door and heads outside into the rain. “Maybe someday he’ll notice it, too?”

And then he closes the door and starts running towards Happy’s car, where he greets the bodyguard and allows himself to be driven away from the Avengers compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have to fix the mistakes of the previous few chapters. I'm having a nasty cold, and I can't really look at my screen without getting a bad headache, so I'll have to postpone that for later!  
> Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you thought of it and feel free to point out any mistakes ^^


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff is happening! FINALLY!
> 
> Okay, so I'm posting the chapter a bit earlier now, but that's mostly because I am myself a bit impatient to give you this one.   
> I've just finished writing the 24th chapter as well, and it's pretty heartbreaking. It might be because I'm still sick, but I actually cried a bit while writing it. Civil War did things to me... :'( 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter. No warnings this time, though maybe a bit of bullying towards the end. Also, you'll notice, the events of Civil War are slowly getting closer.

Peter would have laughed at the irony of going to an exhibition about Captain America while having met the person a few times had his aunt not been here. But the fact stays the same, and as she’s walking right next to him, holding a pamphlet in her hands about the ‘Howling Commando’s’ and pointing towards what must be an old prototype of Steve’s shield, Peter keeps in his laughter.

Out of all the heroes that wander around in New York, Aunt May seems to have two that stand out in particular; while she dislikes Mr. Stark the most – though she won’t really explain why – it seems like he adores Captain America with all her heart. If it would have been that easy, Peter would even have arranged a meet-and-greet with him. Perhaps he should ask her the next time he’s at the facility.

“Look at this! It’s weird to think he actually fought with that thing!” Aunt May calls out, inspecting the shield up closer. Peter remembers when the exhibition was first announced. Aunt May had wanted to go, but they didn’t want to travel all the way to Washington for it so they decided to wait. The moment it moved to New York, Peter took some of the money he had earned for working at Stark’s and got himself two tickets.

“Yeah, I’m sure it didn’t come back to him if he threw it,” Peter jokes, and Aunt May snorts before leaning forward some more. When some random guy passes them by and takes a good look at his aunt, Peter frowns at him.

“That sense of humor of yours… I missed it,” Aunt May then says, pulling back. As soon as she’s facing Peter again, Peter stops glaring at the staring dude, instead meeting her eyes. A warm feeling passes through him when she reaches up her hand to caress his cheek. “I know things have been hard, but I’m glad you’re doing better, Peter.”

“I do feel a bit better,” Peter admits with a faint smile, leaning into her touch. “Even better now that we get to spend some time together.”

“About that…” Aunt May starts as she pulls her hand back. Then she makes a slight turn and starts walking forward again, moving to the next panel. Peter frowns as he follows her. “I know I’m the one who told you to go for the internship, and I’m really glad you’re trying to make things better again.”

“But?” Peter asks, knowing it’s coming.

“But… you spend so much time there! I hardly get to see you anymore! Are you sure you’re not overworking too much? I know you get payed, but I don’t really think you need the burn-out from working that hard, Peter!”

Oh, she’s rambling. Her hand is going through her hair and the other is squeezing the pamphlet until her fingers look white. Peter should intervene, quickly.

“Aunt May, listen, I’m not overworking myself!” Peter quickly gets out, grabbing for her hands and taking them in his own. The woman looks at him with a worried expression behind her glasses, and Peter thinks back of the last time he wore his. “I’m doing fine. Great, even, because I get to work alongside Mr. Stark. We’re working on some sort of suit and-“

“You’re working with Tony Stark? I just thought you were working _for_ him?” she suddenly interrupts him, pulling back her hands slightly before resting them on her hips. When a young couple tries to get a view from the panel they’re standing in front of, they slowly move aside until they’re out of the way.

“Listen, I don’t know why you don’t like him, Aunt May, but Mr. Stark is really teaching me so much!” Peter quickly comes to his defense. Aunt May lets out a shaky laugh, shaking her head as she stares him down. One of her hands goes back to her hair again.

“Why I don’t like him so- you know your mother used to work with him, right?” she asks, and Peter nods. He knows because he read all of her journals _and_ Mr. Stark said so, himself. “You know she came back at my front door, once. Before you were born. And she was in tears, as if she were having a panic attack.”

Then Aunt May turns her head and lowers the hand to her shoulder, her wrist resting above her heart.

“All she would say was  ‘Tony… I made a mistake…’ and whatever else vague, followed by the request that nobody ever mentions him again. And he tried to call, even showed up at her house once, drunk, to try and talk, but her request was clear.”

Peter didn’t know that; he thought Mr. Stark had seized all contact immediately afterwards.

“After a while, we didn’t hear from him again – nobody did. It was as if he’d disappeared completely from the world.”

That must have been because he had been admitted again. He did say something about someone sending him back to the place to get him better once more. They must have shut off all his contact with the outside world.

“But the real reason I don’t like him isn’t actually that… That was your mother’s problem,” Aunt May admits. She starts walking again, this time not looking Peter in the eyes.

“What is it?” Peter asks, hurrying after her. They stop at a panel where a video image is shown of the Founder of SHIELD, Agent Peggy Carter, talking about how Captain America influenced her life. Peter isn’t listening to her, instead focusing all of his attention to his Aunt.

“Remember the Stark Expo back in Queens? Six years ago? Ben and I took you after you kept on begging us to take you for an entire month. It cost us quite a lot of money, too.”

Peter nods, indeed remembering it all. Aunt May smiles a bit, but it’s not entirely out of happiness.

“I remember how we walked in, and you pulled us to this stall, begging us to buy you one of those Iron Man masks. And Ben said we’d do it if you would pay it back later – so you would learn to start earning what you get.”

“I didn’t take it off for the entire evening,” Peter mutters, recalling how happy he’d been to finally have the chance to see the expo. Of course, he had been a bit disappointed, as well, after walking around there the entire day but not coming across his favorite hero.

“And then there was that attack, and you got separated from us,” Aunt May then continues. “We looked everywhere, but all we heard was ‘Iron man is here, Iron Man is here!’, as if his presence should have meant that we were all saved.”

“But he did save us,” Peter continues before clearing his throat. “At least, he saved me.”

“You shouldn’t have to be saved in the first place, Peter! That bad guy, he didn’t just want to _be_ bad. He wanted revenge on _him_. And _you_ were the one who ended up in danger when that robot mistook you for him because of that stupid mask.”

Peter did wonder why they threw the thing away before even getting home.

“Yeah, sure, he kicked its ass before it could get to you, but had he been a small bit too late, you wouldn’t even have been here anymore.”

Peter stays quiet after that; he had never tried to think too much about that day at the expo where he had raised his own hand with his self-made light attached to it. He had thought he could scare the thing off by just pretending to be Iron Man, but instead he made it that much worse for himself.

“He attracts danger to everybody he knows, Peter. He has enemies, and every moment you spend with him, is another moment where his tower is bombed by another revenge-mission or something like that,” Aunt May concludes. Peter takes another deep breath and lowers his shoulders for a bit.

“He’s my father,” he suddenly slips out. His eyes widen the moment the words leave his mouth, and his hand goes to cover up his lips, but it’s already too late.

“He’s what?” she then asks, and Peter sighs. All this time doing his best to keep his Spider-Man-secret, and now this just comes blurting out like it’s nothing.

“He’s… my father. The reason why my mother didn’t want to speak with him anymore is because she accidentally cheated on dad with him,” Peter admits.

“Wh- uh, does he know?” she asks, and Peter shakes his head.

“Not yet. I’m trying to get to know him a bit better first. I want to know if he’s the kind of person I want as my _dad_.” Peter looks down to the ground. “But he’s not good right now, just like I’m not good. And we’re both trying to get better, but it seems to be taking a bit more time with him.”

Aunt May just looks at him sadly. Then she holds out her arms and pulls him into a hug. Her hand comes to the back of his head, and Peter’s cheek rests on her shoulder. In front of Agent Carter’s video about Steve, they stand there in a strong embrace.

And even though Peter is Spider-Man, and he’s been able to defeat multiple bad guys, he’s never felt safer than right now.

 

* * *

 

 

“Tony!”

Tony looks up from his desk, security mask still safely above his face and welding machine in hand.

“Ah, Cap, good you’re here. Peter had this one request but he didn’t dare to ask you despite the fact that you’re one gigantic teddy bear when it comes to the kid-“

“Tony, I didn’t come to just chat,” Steve interrupts him mid-speech. Tony closes his mouth and puts down the device in his hand. Then he lifts up the mask while leaning back in his seat.

“A business-talk? Haven’t had those since you grounded me,” Tony mutters, knowing he’s being a bit childish about that, but in all honesty, he doesn’t really care about it.

“Rumlow has returned,” Steve says shortly. Tony frowns but then shrugs.

“That name supposed to ring any bell to me, or…?”

“He was this guy I worked with at SHIELD, but turned out to be HYDRA. We kind of dropped a building on his head,” Steve explains shortly, as if that’s supposed to make everything clear. Tony still frowns, though, not really catching up but then deciding to just roll with it.

“Okay, what’s that to do with us?” Tony asks. Steve shakes his head.

“He’s HYDRA, and he’s loose. We can’t have him running around like that after everything he’s done,” Steve explains. Tony then sighs and lowers his gaze again.

“So you’re leaving?” he asks, knowing that, if they are, he’s not going with them. He’s not even near to be cleared for Iron Man again. Sure, he’s been taking his meds and his session with Dr. Wynedell earlier today hadn’t gone too bad, but his moods are still too unpredictable. He could still seriously hurt somebody if he were to lash out again. Mostly himself….

“Only for a little while, until we catch him,” Steve assures him. Tony takes the mask off his head and drops it down on the desk before standing up. Then he takes his cup of coffee and starts walking towards the window to have a good look outside. Spring is trying to show, but the last bit of winter is still making an effort to make itself known. It’s not yet weather for t-shirts or shorts, but at least the sun is shining again.

“You know that could take weeks,” Tony says, feeling something heavy inside of him all of the sudden. The idea of them leaving while he’s left behind here… it doesn’t sit too well with him. They could be in danger, and he’ll be here. All these inventions around him that could help them, but he can’t use them.

He’s not too surprised when Steve is standing behind him as he turns around. What _does_ surprise him is Steve pulling his hand away from his chest. That’s when Tony realizes he’s been rubbing his scar once again. He always seems to do that when he gets nervous, according to Steve.

“What’s wrong, Tony?” Steve asks, fingers still around Tony’s wrist, though he doesn’t seem to be aware of it. Tony, on the contrary, can’t help but be _extra_ aware of it. The skin where Steve’s fingers are touching him is burning.

Crap, this is the reason _why_ Tony never touches the man, even though Steve seems to find _every_ excuse to touch _him_ all the time. It’s exactly what Pepper said before she left.

“ _I’m not blind, Tony. I see how you light up whenever he’s near. You’re holding in with the jokes whenever he’s in the room, and you’re_ trying _to be a gentleman in some way. And it’s alright, I’m not angry at you for that. But it would be unfair to both of us if we would stay together while, in fact, I’m not the one you want.”_

He’s been denying it. For so long, he’s tried never to think back of the reason as to why Pepper ended their relationship. Not only because it hurts too much that she left, but because he’s afraid she could be right. And he doesn’t want her to be right.

But now he can’t, because Steve is holding his wrist, and Tony’s skin is burning, and there’s this uneasy feeling in his stomach and chest. As if whatever’s inside wants to break back out. And Steve is still looking at him with those blue eyes. Blue, with little dots of green in them, expressing nothing but admiration and friendliness. And now worry as well.

“Tony?” Steve asks again. Tony clears his throat and pulls his hand back before stepping away from the window again. He heads towards one of the panels in the walls and fishes up the remote controller from the desk to open it. Then, the panel opens up, revealing a new suit he’d worked on a while back.

“Here’s, uh… I remodeled it a bit, made it stronger and… uh…,” Tony stumbles over his words. “The magnet for your shield has a wider radius, and it’s easier to move in now…” Then he stops talking, figuring that he’s not making much sense anymore. He shivers a bit when Steve comes up to him again, but instead of standing next to him, Steve only stops right in front of the uniform, which he observes intently. He lifts up a hand, and passes his finger over the small ‘A’ symbol Tony added on the shoulders. It’s the same as on the uniform he’d worn during that Ultron disaster.

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve says before turning around again. “You keep looking out for us. We’re really grateful for that.”

Crap, hanging out with Steve is _really_ easier whenever Peter is around, because then all Tony thinks about is not to disappoint the kid. He’s always too focused on Peter to even think about whatever is happening right now. Maybe Pepper just shouldn’t have said anything at all about the matter.

“I just… like making…” Tony doesn’t finish his sentence at all. This is literally the _first_ time since the accident with the pills that he’s been truly _alone_ with Steve, and he knows he’s close to losing control of it all. Normally there’s always at least _someone_ in the room with them. Be it Peter, or Vision, or Rhodey… But now they’re alone.

While the medications have been helping with the lack of _feeling_ , so to say, as he starts to get his act back together, his dreams don’t really seem too keen on giving Tony the same treatment. More often than not, he wakes up with images of Steve still fresh in his mind. Images he’d thought he’d become too old for. Images that gave him guilt for even dreaming them up so soon after Pepper left him. Sure, it’s been a little more than three months now since she left, and the dreams haven’t started until only a few weeks ago when he got back on the meds, but everything just feels too soon. It’s happening too fast.

“Tony,” Steve starts again, and Tony’s eyes rest on those lips as they speak out his name. Those full lips that can produce the sincerest smile any human can ever manage. Crap, he needs to get out of here, _now_!

“So, when do you leave?” Tony asks, walking Steve by in an attempt to get away from him as soon as he can. But before he can even make it past the desk, he’s suddenly pulled back by his arm, turned around by Steve before the man puts his hands on the back of Tony’s head and presses their lips together. Tony’s eyes widen in surprise, but in just a matter of seconds he relaxes again. This is Steve; there’s no danger here at all.

So Tony closes his eyes, putting is hands on Steve’s hips instead to pull him closer. The kiss is rough, and it barely leaves any room for them to breathe. But it’s still perfect, somehow. Every time Tony pulls back to take a breath, Steve leans forward once more to capture his lips again.

After what must be minutes, they pull apart at last. Steve just stares down at Tony with this longing look in his eyes. Tony is simply out of breath, trying with all his might to find something to joke about but unable to get any word out.

“Wow, I managed to get the one and only Tony Stark speechless? That must be a record,” Steve jokes instead, and Tony punches him on the chest before leaning forward once more to get one more kiss. Before their lips could meet, though, FRIDAY’s voice fills the room.

“ _Mrs. Romanoff is nearing the workshop_ ,” she warns them, and the two men pull apart as quickly as they can. While Steve is rubbing his lips as if to drying them off, Tony is taking out his phone and pretending to look something up. By the time the door opens, the two already have enough space between them so that she wouldn’t notice anything.

But he won’t hold it past her if she would figure it out. She’s a super-spy after all. And even as she stands in the doorway, holding a tablet in her hands, already fully dressed in her uniform, she takes a good look at both Steve and Tony with a frown. Then as she tries to speak, Tony interrupts her.

“You’re leaving now, right? Make sure not to drop any more cities from the sky, alright? And take Wanda with you! She should be on the field once in a while, I think she’s going crazy if she can’t do anything. Rogers, take that suit with you, I didn’t make it just for the mannequin to wear it. Don’t scratch it, it’s worth a lot!”

Okay if he’s trying not to appear nervous, he’s failing miserably at it. He quickly clears his throat again before grabbing his mask again.

“Right… the Quinjet is ready for departure. We need to go now before we lose him again.” Natasha then nods towards the hallway. Steve nods before getting the suit off the panel. Then he follows Widow out of the workshop. Before the door closes behind him, he gives Tony one last look, which Tony returns.

And they don’t speak words, because that one last stare is enough for them; they’ll talk about this later. They’re not going to pretend this never happened.

“ _Incoming message from Mary Fitzpatrick_ ,” FRIDAY suddenly pulls him out of that one stare, and then the door is closed. Tony startles, shaking his head a bit before pulling his mask up again.

“Uh, that’s not possible. She’s dead,” Tony reminds her.

“ _This is an automatic message_ ,” FRIDAY clarifies, and Tony clears his voice once more before nodding, waiting for the screen on the desk to light up. Then Mary’s familiar face suddenly fills the glass. She looks a little bit older than how he remembers her, but not much.

“ _Tony. I know you never really expected to hear from me again, and I can’t blame you for that. I’m sorry that I shut you out, but I just panicked, I suppose.”_

It’s weird to hear her voice again. Tony leans forward a bit, trying to capture what he’s seeing in front of him, but reminding himself that she’s no longer there.

“ _I know I can only bring bad news, and this one won’t be better at all. If you’re getting this, it probably means that I’m dead. Richard and I are about to leave now, Oscorp is after us. They’re after something Richard made, and they’re angry because he won’t give it to them. So we have to leave, to disappear. I’m not sure if we’ll make it._

_“But I didn’t call you to tell you that. I’m not sure you’ll even care after everything I put you through. I can explain why I panicked the way I did, and I will. That’s mostly because I think you deserve to know. You’re going to be one of the only persons left in his life._ ”

Then the Mary on the screen pulls up a picture from somewhere. She points it towards the camera, so Tony has a good view on what’s on it. He recognizes Peter instantly. He’s so young, sitting there between Mary and the man that must be Richard. Tony chokes only a little bit when he sees that it’s a picture of the family together.

“ _This is Peter, and he’s our son_.”

Tony’s heart skips a few beats when he hears that sentence. He could be mistaken, but did she say ‘our’? Surely, she means hers and Richard’s, right?

“ _Richard doesn’t know it; he thinks he’s the father, and I intent on keeping it like that. I love him, and I don’t wish to hurt him in any way. But Peter, he’s so much like you; smarter than other kids his age, a little difficult to get along with if you don’t know him. He’s got your eyes, Tony. And those small little freckles you’ve always denied having.”_

Tony doesn’t feel his body anymore. He tries to move, but notices that he can’t. Instead, all he can do is focus on that small picture of Peter. He must have been about five or six when that was taken. He looks happy, untroubled. Far away from the kid Tony met a few months ago.

“ _We can’t take Peter with us. It would be too dangerous for him. So we dropped him off at his aunt and uncle’s in Queens. He’s safe there. That’s where you can find him, whenever you get this message. I’m sorry, I don’t know how old he’ll be when you see this. I postpone sending this every year I survive, so if it would be that I don’t, you know what that means…”_

Mary sobs a bit as she lowers the picture again. Then she rubs her eyes and looks away from the camera.

“ _I never hated you, Tony. You were one of my best friends, and I’m sorry for what trouble I caused you. But I just couldn’t stand lying to you about Peter. I know you can’t afford to have a son – especially one outside of any relationship. You’re a public figure, and you shouldn’t get all the attention on it. And neither does Peter.”_

Then Mary dries off her eyes and looks back at Tony, determined, though heartbroken look on her face.

“ _I’m leaving now. I hope that, if you decide to meet him, you’ll get along well. He’s such a sweet kid, and I’m sure he’ll steal your heart as well. Goodbye, Tony. I’m sorry for everything.”_

And then the screen turns blank, and all Tony can see is the table through the glass. A breath escapes his mouth, and at last he gets back the movement in his arms. He leans back in his chair, raises his eyes to the ceiling, and tries to count to a hundred to calm down his nerves. What he would do right now to have Rhodey here. He’s not sure who stayed here, and who left, but he could figure it out.

Peter… what are the odds that the kid would be working with him for weeks? How is it possible that somehow they’ve been together for all that time without knowing what they are to each other? Or at least, he _thinks_ that Peter doesn’t know.

Unless… that first interview, those papers Peter dropped. They were results for a DNA-screening, as far as Tony remembers. There hadn’t been any names on it, but Tony can recall the page as well as any other because of his memory. Just one look had been enough to store it in his brain.

Somehow, Peter managed to swab something from Tony’s DNA, and got it tested with his own.

That sneaky kid…

“FRIDAY, Mary Parker died years ago. Why am I only getting this now?” Tony asks, noticing only slightly how there’s a shiver in his voice. It’s best that nobody else is in here, though he wouldn’t have minded if Steve would have stayed a little longer.

Wait, no. He’s not suddenly going to let down his walls. They kissed _once_. That doesn’t mean Tony is going to keep on giving in here.

“ _The message came from an abandoned subway station called ‘Roosevelt’s Secret Station_ ’. _It’s a secret subterranean extension of New York’s ‘D’ line train under Pershing Square.”_

“Okay, why was it a secret station?” Tony asks, already pulling up his phone to look it up himself. Just as FRIDAY is explaining, the website opens up.

“ _It was built to transport President Franklin Roosevelt away from the public eye, to keep his polio hidden from the people. According to legends, the train car was hidden underneath a private elevator that would take the vehicle straight to the Waldorf-Astoria Garage.”_

“Huh,” Tony mutters, pulling up pictures of whatever it is. “Is it worth a visit?”

“ _I don’t know what you’re expecting to find there, sir,”_ FRIDAY responds. Tony just shrugs, before grabbing his vest and putting his phone aside again.

“Just need to see what triggered the message now,” he answers. “Call Happy for me, will you? If Steve can have his mission, I can have one of my own.”

FRIDAY doesn’t answer, but Tony knows she’ll listen to him. That’s why she’s such a wonderful AI, after all. Tony quickly looks to the side to check the hour, finding that it’s almost eleven a.m., on a Monday. But that doesn’t mean much for traffic; it’s New York. There’s always traffic.

For a short second, his mind wanders back to the suit. It’s not really much action he’s expecting here. Would it be so much trouble if he would just…? No, better not. Steve still hasn’t declared him fit for it anyway.

Like Steve knows anything about Tony’s health regarding the suit…

“ _Happy has been notified and he’s already preparing the car, sir_ ,” FRIDAY says, and Tony smiles.

“That’s all I wanted to hear, my dear.”

It’s right when he sits down in his seat that he realizes; he never asked Cap for that favor of Peter’s about getting him to meet May.

“Crap…”

 

* * *

 

 

They’re having lunch when Peter sees her. He’s at the table with Ned, discussing the new Star Wars movie they did eventually watch a few weeks back when suddenly a third person joins their table. It’s the moment Peter sees the fiery red hair that he groans.

“Oh come on, you again?” he asks Michelle, who just glares at him with her greenish-brown eyes. Then she drops her food at the seat next to him, and drops down without saying a word. Ned and Peter observe her with a confused stare as she starts to mix her sauces together until she gets one nasty looking brown goo.

“That doesn’t look good?” Ned mutters. Michelle snorts before pulling up a French fry and dipping it in.

“It don’t have to look good to taste good,” she says, pointing the fry at him before putting it in her mouth. Then, while she’s still chewing, she turns towards Peter in that usual inspecting glare of hers. “Now you’ve been missing from work lately, which strikes me as strange since you’ve got a lot to catch up on here. What, you’ve given up your year?”

“Uh, what?”

“I mean, not that I’ve been stalking after you or something, of course. I’ve just been very observant, especially after that weird stunt you pulled with almost breaking that intern’s arm?”

Her eyes, they’re just… it’s like they’re trying to burn inside his soul, to get all of the secrets out of him. She stares with determination, but trying to show aloofness along as well. Without getting him out of her sight, she grabs for another fry and dips it right back into the sauce.

“Uh, I’m still working,” Peter says nervously. “Why do I even have to explain myself to you?”

“What, you got transferred, then?”

“Practically, yeah,” Peter says, not knowing how to explain this, really. “I’ve been working with Mr. Stark. He’s building this new suit, and-“

“NO WAY! You get to help him with the Iron Man suit? Which number is he at, now?” Ned interrupts him enthusiastically. Both Peter and Michelle turn to look at him, Michelle annoyed while Peter is more shocked. He has _no_ idea what he’s supposed to say here.

“Uh, no not the Iron Man suit. It’s something for a new guy, he said,” Peter answers then with a shrug. Then he gets a poke on the head from Michelle.

“Uh-uh, you’re trying to make us believe you’re working with the _actual Mr. Stark_? Don’t even try to shit us here, Parker.” Michelle says, loud enough for the guy behind them to hear. Unfortunately, that person turns out to be nobody other than Flash, who seems more than happy to push Peter’s face against the table for no reason other than to be annoying.

“Auw,” Peter mutters as his cheek hits his plate. There’s a fry poking his eye, and the sauce is already in his nose.

“Who do we have here, guys? Is that- wait? Is that you, Peter Parker?” Flash asks, giving one more push before letting go at last. Then he pulls on Peter’s shoulder until he falls off his seat. With his eyes still closed, he doesn’t know how many people are watching this happening. But seeing as it’s lunch, he’s sure it’s a lot of them.

“Are you still on about how you’re best friends with Tony Stark, huh? You, what, they’re mascotte, now? Do they get you to clean their suits back there at their building?”

As Flash speaks, his friends start laughing. He hears some hands clap together in high fives, and Peter feels his cheek redden. When he tries to stand up, there’s a sudden foot resting on his chest, keeping him down.

“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about a nickname to give you, Parker. Everybody gets one from me. But I think _penis_ fits you the best, no?”

There’s more laughter. The pressure on his chest gets even stronger. Peter finally opens his eyes and grabs the foot, but holds himself in on pulling it away. He doesn’t want to raise attention to himself.

“How about that? Penis Parker?” Flash asks. His friends agree in laughter, and Flash is smiling that ugly smile of his. Peter wonders what he ever did to Flash to make him hate him so much, but he figures Flash just picks out his favorite victims and works from there on out.

“Hey, Flash!” Michelle shouts as a distraction, and that’s Peter’s cue. In just a matter of seconds, he’s balled his hand into a fist, and then without a warning he pushes up, punching Flash straight in the groin. The teenager lets out a surprised shout, and then the pressure is gone from his chest and Peter can jump up again as Flash drops down, already putting his hands down in a protective gesture.

Slightly out of breath, Peter looks around to see that an entire crowd has already surrounded them. People who had been laughing are now looking with wide eyes and open mouths. Some of Flash’s friends are already trying to help him back up.

“Jesus, Parker, I guess ‘penis’ _does_ really suit you,” somebody jokes, and then everybody laughs again. While grunting, Flash starts to stand up again. He sounds a bit breathless, leaning against one of his palls as he turns back towards Peter.

There’s more to come. He’s got more to say. _Bring it on_.

“Should have used those reflexes to save your girlfriend,” Flash says.

Peter doesn’t think anymore. In just a matter of seconds, Flash is on the ground again, hands pressed against his eye where Peter just punched him without really thinking about it. Peter’s fist hurts like hell, meaning that he surely didn’t hold back.

This is not good… In the back, a teacher just shakes his head disapprovingly.

That afternoon, Peter gets another detention, only this time there’s no way to talk himself out of this one.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Emotional Peter

Roosevelt subway station is pretty much how the website described it; abandoned and old. It’s dusty everywhere, and there’s spiders all around the corner. The rails have been rusted, the air smells funny. There’s a lot here reminding him that it’s an old place.

Tony taps against the ear-piece he put on earlier, testing it for a moment.

“FRIDAY, you’re there?” he asks.

“ _At your service, sir,”_ FRIDAY says, and Tony rolls his eyes at her sarcastic tone. She’s much like JARVIS when it comes to that.

“Well, what am I looking at here?” he asks, putting on the glasses to get some screens in front of his eyes. “And please don’t give me the obvious, I don’t need the obvious.”

“ _I don’t know what else to give you, sir,”_ FRIDAY answers. Sassy girl, Tony snorts before going to the turnabout-thing. It looks a bit out of place, as if it’s much newer than the other stuff. After a slight pull, he understands that it’s probably been installed much later.

What he understands, too, is that he can’t really force it to turn, either.

“The website said something about a secret elevator, didn’t he?” Tony asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer as he gives the entire room a long look. “Try and find something for me, dear?”

“ _You seem pretty chipper for somebody who just figured out he’s got a son, sir,”_ FRIDAY adds, but Tony can see the scan being performed on his screens. For a short moment, he waits while leaning against the wall, putting his hand on his chin.

“Yeah, well… I don’t know, guess it hasn’t really gotten through yet,” Tony says. He’s immensely aware of what exactly has changed in his life now. Mary _admitted_ that Tony is Peter’s father, but somehow the shock doesn’t seem as big to him as he thinks she would have expected.

He _has_ spent a lot of time with the kid in the past few weeks. Even he knows that the intelligence Peter is showing is much more than what his mother had. But Tony never dared to hope, because he knows he’s always been careful about these sorts of things.

“ _I don’t suppose it has gotten through about what happened between you and Mr. Rogers, either then?”_

Tony glared at the ceiling, even though she’s not there but in his ear instead.

“You’re extremely sassy today, what’s gotten into you, FRIDAY?” Tony asks in a mutter. “You’re not afraid you’re going to be replaced now that you have a little brother, are you?”

There’s no answer, and Tony snorts.

“Ah, c’mon, you know that you’ll always be my favorite girl,” he says with a wink.

“ _Hysterical,”_ FRIDAY answers dryly. “ _There’s a hidden elevator underneath the train rails, and there’s a wagon underneath.”_

“My, my, it must be my birthday,” Tony says before walking towards the rails. When he takes a good look at it, he does notice the lines that show where the plates separate. If he can find the source of the signal that brings it up, he might be able to open the thing again.

This right here, this is exactly what he’s good at. Takes another good look at the place with the help of the screens on his glasses, and then he goes to his toolbox and starts tinkering around.

It takes about an hour due to the old technology and the lack of internet in the place, but eventually, he does think he’s got it right. Giving FRIDAY the instruction to go on, Tony waits patiently for the plates to go up and reveal the train wagon.

And as it shakily rises, Tony can read the number written on top of it. Wagon 5, E241 Street. On the side, there’s 6688 written with white paint. The thing doesn’t look like it’s suited for driving anymore, but even from the outside, Tony can see the cables and old screens stacked together.

He doesn’t speak when the electricity turns itself on. When the doors open automatically, he simply takes a step forward and tries to brace himself for what he’s going to find.

As it turns out, it’s some sort of mobile lab. It’s small, and probably not a good place for Banner to work in without testing his anger issues, but somehow it’s still open. Probably because somebody must have cleaned this place up a bit before they left. Everything is put away neatly, covered with a few layers of dust collected from the years. Tony guides a spider away from his face by replacing the web to another place against the sides.

He notes quickly that there are things in the fridge. Things that were supposed to stay cool, but now surely aren’t useable anymore for whatever they needed it for. Tony just walks it by; he knows quite some things about biology, but it’s not his field. Nor his interest. That’s more Banner’s thing.

“Oh Bruciebear, how I could have used your wisdom right now,” Tony mutters while leaning forward to have a look at a microscope, but unable to place whatever he’s seeing in front of him. That’s probably too old to look like how it’s supposed to look like.

He almost has a heart-attack when he sees the _extremely_ old monitor on the desk, his heart aching at the ancient technology this entire wagon uses, limited by the technology of their time. The screen is lid up, and there’s one single message popping up on the screen.

_Message sent_.

It says nothing more. Tony hesitates a bit before reaching out for the mouse, and then he starts moving it around to check if it still works. When he cursor on the screen moves, he lets out a triumphant sound.

Alright, let’s see what secrets this grandpa holds,” Tony says, clicking open a few folders but finding mostly reports on however they’ve advanced in their breakthrough. He already puts his phone on the table, tapping away on a few buttons before pressing on ‘confirm’. With that, all the data that is currently on this computer is being downloaded onto his memory.

“Yay,” Tony exclaims softly before continuing his work. “FRIDAY, have you figured anything out from this place?”

“ _It seems like the computer was reactivated around June 2015. From what I can get from the computer, all the processes had been frozen before Mrs. Fitzpatrick managed to send the original message. After reactivation, everything resumed working, including the automatic e-mail Mary Fitzpatrick had prepared for you.”_

Tony nods before looking around for a bit. When he looks up, he notices something small in the corner of the wagon. A wide grin appears on his face, and Tony points towards the camera hanging there.

“FRIDAY, try and get me some footage of what happened here in June 2015,” he says.

“ _Of course, sir,”_ FRIDAY answers shortly. Then Tony pulls his glasses back down on his nose, and sticks his attention on the images on the screen. There he can see FRIDAY working her magic as the footage appears in front of him.

There stands Peter, walking exactly where Tony just walked, looking younger, stronger in a way. Tony watches as Peter looks at something on the screen Tony is currently finding himself in front of. For a long while, that’s all he sees. But then, Peter moves again, having a quick look around before leaving the wagon again. After that, the screen goes dark again.

“How exactly did that message send if the computer was turned off?” he wonders to himself, typing some stuff away on the keyboard until he finds the messaging program. There, in sent items, Tony quickly finds the one message Mary addressed to him.

“ _The message didn’t seem to be officially sent when Mrs. Fitzpatrick made it. The computer froze before finishing processing. Since Peter turned it back on, it must have resumed its work,”_ FRIDAY explains just as Tony is figuring it out. He leans back in his seat for a bit and lets out a long sigh. Then he takes a look at the phone, and reaches out his hand to see if the documents have been downloaded yet.

When the phone suddenly starts ringing, he startles, pulling his hand back just a tiny bit. On the screen, a number appears, but one unfamiliar to Tony. Not a lot of people have Tony’s personal number, so he wonders if this could be a mistake? Carefully, Tony takes the phone, and presses the ‘answer’ button.

“Hello?” he asks, not bothering to say his name.

“ _Yeah, this is Andrea Scott from Midtown High school. Am I talkin’ to Mr. Parker?”_

Tony frowns, pulling the phone away from his ear for a small second before putting it back in place. Midtown High? That’s Peter’s school… What has the kid been up to, now?

“This is, uh, him?” Tony tries, making a grimace as the lie rolls out with trouble. He never liked Richard out of principle, and he feels even worse pretending to be him in the dead guy’s mobile lab.

“ _Yeah, uh, your son got into a fight during lunch, and the principal’s wonderin’ if you might be open to come and speak with him? I already tried his… Aunt? She won’t pick up, I’m afraid, so your son gave me your number instead.”_

A fight?! Tony shoots up from where he’s seated, already marching out of the wagon in record time. It helps to have a little more space if he wants to have a conversation like this.

“A fight, you say? What exactly happened?”

“ _Listen, sir, I don’t really have the time to start explaining this. It’s probably better you ask the principal about it…_ ”

Tony snorts, already imagining this girl sitting at her desk, playing with her hair as she chews her gum and talks on for hours in that annoyingly nasally voice.

“What time should I be there?” he asks with a sigh.

“ _Around four will be fine. Thank you, sir,”_ Andrea says before hanging up the phone. Tony just scoffs, leaving his mouth open in his surprise and then shaking his head. With a half turn, he faces the train again, a bit annoyed that he doesn’t get to inspect the thing a bit more right now.

He’ll have to return for it, later. It’s already one in the afternoon, and Tony is still greasy all over from working at the workshop.

“ _It’s fun to be a parent, isn’t it?”_ FRIDAY suddenly says out of nowhere. Tony glares once more at the ceiling.

“You know, when I programmed you I probably added a little bit too much of sarcasm. Maybe I should take some back?” he threatens her.

“ _I know you would never touch my code, sir,”_ FRIDAY still states the obvious, and Tony shakes his head and throws his arms up. She got him, there.

 

* * *

 

 

Sitting at detention, Peter has his arms crossed in front of him and his head resting on the desk as he waits for the hour to pass. His homework is already finished, and his newspaper is read through completely.

A few desks away from him, Flash – with now a very black eye – is throwing spit-balls at Peter’s head. So far, Peter hasn’t reacted to it. He knows that if he would open his mouth, it could be used against him. It’s probably better to just ignore it and wait for detention to be done with.

They’re only fifteen minutes in, and Peter already feels like the entire back of his head is soaked from Flash’ nasty spit all over his hair. What he would do right now to take a shower. He hasn’t felt so uncomfortable as right now.

Around him, there are a few more kids, all of them looking equally bored. Peter doesn’t know them by name, only that they’ve been here more often than Peter has. Another sigh escapes his mouth as he flicks away another spit-ball that missed its target and ended up on his desk, instead.

Each time the door opens, everybody looks up while hoping it’s for them. Everybody is waiting for their talk with the principal, though Peter would rather have it didn’t happen at all. There are multiple reasons for that, first off starting with the fact that he’s never been called to the principal before except for the first day he came back to school after Uncle Ben died – and that hadn’t been a strict conversation, but rather a reassuring ‘we’re all there for you’-kind of thing.

The second reason is mostly the fact that, when they couldn’t reach aunt May and they asked for another number, Peter gave out – how stupid though it is – Mr. Stark’s number instead. The woman, who took it, was new and has no idea what Peter’s home-situation is. So when Peter muttered something about ‘father’, the woman quickly came to the conclusion and called Mr. Stark so – which must have been very weird for the man.

Of course, the principal will know there’s no father to speak of. He’ll figure out that, whoever will appear in Mr. Stark’s stead will not be in any relation to him. Who would it even be? Peter can almost imagine Mr. Stark sending Steve here – or Steve offering to come instead.

So, yeah, here Peter is sitting, doodling on his piece of paper while getting spit-balls against the back of his head by the guy he might have seriously hurt when his emotions got out of control. He deserves the punishment that he’ll get, but he very much hopes that Flash, too, gets what he deserves. It’s been going on for long enough, after all.

“Peter Parker?” somebody asks, and Peter looks up from his seat, seeing the woman he gave Mr. Stark’s number to looking at him with a bored expression. She’s in her late twenties, with too-blonde hair to be called natural and a pair of glasses that must have been fashion in the sixties, but are now completely out of style. Every time Peter sees her, it seems like she’s chewing on some gum, creating bubbles with that ever-present bored expression on her face.

Peter’s heart jumps when he hears his name. With lots of hesitation inside of him but without showing it, Peter puts his stuff back into his bag and closes it before following the woman – he doesn’t even know her name – out of the detention room. The hallways are empty now; everybody is already back at home or still on their way.

The journey to the principal’s office isn’t long; the detention-room is pretty close to it, only two rooms further. Peter waits at the door while the woman knocks on the door. After getting a confirming sound from the other side, she opens the door and points at Peter to get inside.

Which he does, only to have his mouth fallen open.

“Mr. Parker, take a seat, please,” Principal Morita says, pointing towards the empty seat next to Mr. Stark – who isn’t looking all too happily at Peter. The teenagers tries to swallow away a sudden lump in his throat, but then obeys and drops himself down in the chair. He does his best not to look at Mr. Stark, keeping a straight posture as his eyes rest on Mr. Morita’s desk.

“I’m pretty sure you know what we’re here to talk to you about, Peter?” the Principal says. Peter nods, shame already filling his entire thought. He just wishes Mr. Stark wouldn’t have looked so… disappointed at him.

How did he even get here? Didn’t he get a ‘babysitter’ all the time? Is there somebody waiting for them outside? Probably Steve, no?

“Uh, I don’t suppose it has anything to do with my science project?” Peter tries, only to receive a scowl from both Mr. Morita and Mr. Stark. Peter gulps, knowing this is not the right time to be funny. “Or maybe because I punched a bully in the face?”

“And I’m pretty sure you’re proud of that?” Mr. Stark says sternly. Peter frowns, wondering _what_ exactly he’s supposed to be here. His mentor? His father?  When he turns to give Mr. Stark a questioning look, all he gets in return is a frown and a whole lot of frustration.

“Mr. Stark, I’m sure you know from Mrs. Parker that Peter’s had a rough time this past year. We understand that his emotions have been tested, now-“

“You know, I’m right here, I can hear everything,” Peter mutters.

“You better not test us here, Peter,” Mr. Morita warns him, but Peter then shakes his head.

“No, I’m going to test all I want,” he suddenly starts in a strange act of surprising bravery. He stands up from his chair, surprising everybody in the room, including himself. “Because for _years_ there has been nothing but bullying coming from that boy. He punches other teens, pushes them against the walls. Others come home _bruised_! They even assaulted Ned on the streets in the evening!-“

“Peter,” Mr. Stark calmly says in between. Peter doesn’t hear it.

“-but _nobody_ dares to mention it, because they’re all afraid of him. So people give their lunch-money, and their homework, because they’re afraid that, if they won’t, they’ll get their face smashed in a plate full of spaghetti or they get to come home with bruised ribs!”

“Peter,” Mr. Stark says once more, a little louder.

“And sure, I can handle the fact that he gets to _me!_ Hey, better me than somebody else, I suppose. But he shouldn’t have brought up Gwen! Because I know she’s dead because of me; she was there when she shouldn’t have been. She only followed _me_ , and I couldn’t save her, and Flash doesn’t get to laugh at that because my _best friend_ was the one to throw her off the building!”

Oh lord, is he crying? Peter is pretty sure he’s crying. Yup, there are tears rolling over his cheeks. In a hurry, he tries to wipe them away, thinking back of how his voice had been cracking during that last sentence. Mr. Morita is looking at him in surprise, as if he’s wondering how exactly innocent little Peter could make such a drama.

Mr. Stark, in return, is giving him a weird look that looks like a combination of anger but sadness at the same time. Who it is directed to, Peter has no idea.

When Peter realizes that he’s having a bit of difficulty at stopping with the sudden crying, Mr. Morita offers him a tissue. Fully ashamed, Peter dabs his eyes dry, head pointed down to avoid eye-contact with anybody.

“Peter, I understand that the subject concerning Mrs. Stacey is a sensitive one for you, but that doesn’t give you the right to start throwing punches,” Mr. Morita then starts. Mr. Stark stays awfully quiet next to Peter. “We always have somebody who would be willing to talk with you about these past happenings.”

“I’m already at therapy,” Peter mutters bitterly.

“We’ve already decided we won’t suspend you, but punishment must still be made. Mr. Stark and I have arranged something that will not interfere with your internship, so on the days you’re not working, you’ll have detention for the upcoming two weeks.”

Peter doesn’t answer anymore, because there’s nothing else left to say. He gives Mr. Stark a quick look, but there’s nothing to be read from him. While Mr. Stark had looked angry before, now he just appears like somebody kicked his puppy. 

Just as he expects anybody to say something, some cold chill passes through him. Something is about happen, and his entire body is aware of it. He tries to say something, to warn Mr. Stark and Mr. Morita about the danger that might be nearing, but then they suddenly hear a loud crash in the hallway.

It’s not the sound that comes when somebody crashes the door angrily, neither is it one where the wind smashes it close before anybody else can do it. This is the sort of sound that reminds Peter of the time the Lizard invaded the school.

“Oh come on, again?” Mr. Morita complains. He gets up from his seat and hurries to open up the door, where he’s greeted by a thick cloud of dust flying into his face. On the other side of the hallway, two figures start running towards them. Peter tries to get a good look of it, but he’s suddenly pushed aside by Mr. Stark, who looks extremely alert and ready to get in action despite not wearing the suit.

“Stay behind me, Peter,” Mr. Stark tells him, and Peter wants to protest, to say that he’ll be fine. But a normal teenage boy would shield away behind a hero whenever there’s real danger. If he wants to stay away from suspicion, pretending to be weak might be the better thing to do in this situation.

What’s going on? Is it the Goblin again? Is he after Peter once more? He wouldn’t put it past Harry, but right now he really wishes it isn’t him. Harry is the last person he needs to see right now; he already knows his dreams will be filled with bad memories.

The last thing Peter expects to show up from the fog of dust is Wade. Even less a Wade wearing the school’s cheerleading uniform and jumping up high in the air with pompoms while he tries to evade somebody.

Somebody that looks like Wolverine.

“Oh, not again…” Peter mutters, realizing he almost sounds like his principal. The last time Wolverine and Deadpool faced off, Peter almost missed his interview about the internship. Why can’t these two just get past their problems like normal human beings?

Oh… wait, stupid question.

“Hi Peter! Peter’s da- I mean Iron Man! Peter’s principal!” Deadpool calls out before running off again. In one swift jump, he flies out of the window only to land on the ground – just not the right way. As he lies on the ground with all of his bones pointing the wrong way, Wolverine starts to walk towards the window to check out the damage.

“Come on! Can you just stop trying to kill me all the time?!” Deadpool shouts from where he crashed.

“Huh, looks pretty alive to me…” Wolverine mutters, already moving to jump out of the window as well.

“Excuse me, are you out of your mind?!”

Well, Peter would have expected Mr. Morita to say this. Instead, it’s Mr. Stark who marches up towards Wolverine and glares at him as if his look could kill him.

“Stark, it’s been a while. Where’s the suit?” Wolverine asks. Mr. Starks hands ball into tight fists, and Peter swallows nervously.

“On lockdown, which _you_ should be as well! There are children in here, and you could have killed them!” Mr. Stark shouts at him. Wolverine just scoffs, turning to look towards Mr. Morita and Peter standing a little back in the Principal’s office.

“It’s after school,” Wolverine mutters, fishing out a cigar from somewhere in his jacket and putting it on regardless of being inside. “Kids are at home.”

“Ever heard of detention before? Or wait, one should actually have _gone_ to school to know what that means,” Mr. Stark grumbles back. Then he gets an angry look from the other man, who seems like he’s at the verge of striking Mr. Stark down as well.

Then, much to Peter’s surprise, the mutant starts laughing. His hand comes to his stomach and he leans his head back while there are laughing lines showing around his eyes. Peter wants to know what could possibly be so funny right now, but he doesn’t dare ask, instead just looking back out of the window and seeing Wade still lying there. Though this time it looks like his left leg is already healed back in place. Now the rest…

“Ah, Stark, always fun talking with ya,” Wolverine says, though his tone doesn’t sound like he finds it ‘fun’ indeed. Then, without a warning, he jumps out of the window to get back to Deadpool, but when Peter casts one third look, it seems like the guy has disappeared. How did he do that?

Mr. Stark doesn’t react to it, instead turning around and pulling up his phone. In the hallway now the leftover teenagers from detention appear, taking in the carnage that is left in the building. Flash looks in horror when he sees that the football-trophy has been destroyed.

Peter doesn’t listen to what Mr. Stark is saying to the person on the other line. All he can see is Flash. While the guy is usually being all tough and ‘Mr. Strong’, right now he looks vulnerable, actually _sad._ One would wonder how a stupid trophy could mean so much, but the longer Peter thinks of it, the more he comes to understand that Flash might actually have worked hard for the school to get that trophy.

Flash may be a jerk, but he still accomplished things…

That’s also probably why he’s never really punished for all the bullying he does. But… why does he do it?

“Listen, prince, I suggest a bargain,” Mr. Stark starts to the Principal as Peter observes Flash some more. With divided attention, Peter tries to catch up on the conversation. “I’ve already called up the contractors, and they’ll come and work on the school to fix it back up. I’m not going to cancel them if you say ‘no’, but would you agree that Peter gets off the hook? I’ll make sure he’ll work extra-hard at the workshop, instead.”

Mr. Morita looks surprised, but Peter doesn’t know at what. That Mr. Stark took care of this already? Or that the man would even try to bargain about this? Peter can almost see the gears working in his head when he turns around for a second, but then the man holds out his hand towards Mr. Stark and nods in agreement.

“I think it’s the least we can do. Thank you very much, Mr. Stark.”

Mr. Stark just waves it off before facing Peter again. Then he nods towards the chair he had been sitting on, pointing at the backpack. Without having to say anything, Peter understands completely what he wants. He hurries back inside the office, takes his bag, and then hurries after Mr. Stark, who is already making his way out.

Who would have thought that Wade would have saved his ass today? At least, along with Mr. Stark, that is.

 

* * *

 

 

Awaiting them in front of the school – while still nervously holding the Iron Man case – is Happy, former bodyguard of Tony Stark who has now taken back up the role for some reason even Tony can’t really explain. Tony greets his friend with a short greeting, and then hurries into the back of the car. Happy just puts the case back into the trunk.

“Peter, get inside,” Tony instructs Peter when the kid seems to hesitate a little while longer. Peter nods before hurrying into the car, taking a seat next to Tony. He claps his hands between his knees and waits for Happy to start driving. Tony still keeps his gaze away from the teenager next to him.

His freaking _son_ …

“Where to?” Happy asks.

“Queens, the kid’s house. Give him your address, kid.”

Peter hesitates, but does as he’s told. Happy types in the address into the gps-system that has been installed in the car by Tony himself and then starts driving, continuously keeping his eyes locked on the road but still attempting to check out what is happening in the back.

“Listen, kid, there’s obviously some things we need to talk about,” Tony starts after they’ve been driving for five minutes. They’re already stuck in traffic, and immediately Tony regrets not taking the suit to fly them out of here.

Of course, an order is an order – even though Tony’s never been one to follow them in the past – so he stays away from it.

“Who did you introduce yourself as?” Peter asks before Tony can even start with whatever he wants to talk about. Then Tony sees him slap his hand on his mouth, as if he’s embarrassed for slipping it out so carelessly.

And then it hits him; is it really the best idea to tell Peter what his mother just told him? Does Peter need to know that his _father_ is just about the biggest wreck one could have as a family? One that can’t even figure out his own feelings towards…

No, wait, that’s not the right time to think about this.

“I told him I was your mentor, and that I was close friends with your aunt,” Tony says, and then he reaches for his pocket and takes out a folded piece of paper. “And I also might have had your aunt’s signature forged to make this letter.”

Peter takes the sheet out of Tony’s hands and reads through the words. In a writing that resembles May Parker’s perfectly, he’s explained that Tony Stark is a friend of the family, and has permission to pick Peter up in case she would be incapable of doing so. There’s no chance Peter will be quickly known in school as the ‘son of Tony Stark’ because of some teachers gossiping.

“Mr. Stark, is there something wrong?” Peter asks after fifteen minutes of silent driving. They’re slowly nearing Peter’s house, but so far Tony hasn’t managed to get anything out. There’s so much to talk about, but Tony can’t figure out where to begin.

Or if it’s even a good idea to share the information with him. Surely, Peter probably already knows, if that DNA-test is something to go by, but does he need to know that Tony knows?

It’s not that Tony doesn’t want to be a father. He’d even been thinking about it with Pepper for a while now. But when he thought he’d have a kid, he’d at least hoped he could get the cute toddler-years along with it. Not that Peter can’t be just as important to Tony as any other kid he would have had with Pepper had it gotten that far, but Tony barely knows anything about the kid.

“Everything’s fine, Peter,” Tony answers in panic, head turned towards the window while watching the rain fall. He’s sure Peter knows he’s lying, because Tony is not at all succeeding in giving him a convincing poker-face. Luckily for him, the kid doesn’t seem to want to press it.

Eventually, Happy stops the car in front of Peter’s house. Tony realizes then that he hasn’t spoken a single word about it at all. Even as he opens his mouth, he finds that he lacks the words to speak. He wants to tell Peter everything he knows, but there’s no good way the words form in his mouth.

So Tony simply keeps quiet, nodding towards Peter’s house and forcing up a fake but hopefully convincing smile.

“You go back up now,” he says. “I’ll see you at the compound, tomorrow.”

Peter looks surprised. His eyes are open wide, and a fly could just fly into his mouth if he doesn’t close it soon.

“Uh, alright,” Peter says, and in obvious hesitation, Peter reaches for the door and opens it up. When he’s outside, he waits for a little moment longer before closing it again and starting to walk back into the apartment complex.

Seeing the boy disappear in the building, Tony takes a deep breath and asks Happy to start driving again. What he needs right now is a good talk with Rhodey, or _hell_ , even Pepper. He needs someone socially smarter in his life to help him guide through this.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've been feeling like crap for the past two weeks, but it's starting to get better now! Hurray!  
> As I'm currently writing the 27th chapter, and I felt the sudden strong need to thank each and everyone of you. I'm literally blown away by all the kind comments. I'm glad people like the story! I've been on this since a little more than a year ago, though it's been since Homecoming that I've continued writing since chapter 4!   
> Any way, as a thanks there's two chapters today instead of one (because chapter 14 is a bit short, I think, and there's good stuff happening in both)! If there's something seeming wrong, or if I've written absolute bullshit, just let me know!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter:   
> \- strong language? I dunno  
> \- Stony

Peter has in fact been scolded by Aunt May when she’d heard the news about Peter’s detention. He’s got house-arrest, and isn’t been allowed to leave except for school or the internship. Peter understands it completely, and never even tries to talk himself out of that sentence.

So once he’s home, he greets his aunt, helps her out for dinner, and after eating he heads to his room to finish his homework and then game a bit with Ned, who has quickly become a good friend to him. Probably even the only one he has at school.

The school is undergoing some reparations due to the whole conflict between Wolverine and Deadpool, causing for some classes to be relocated until it’s finished. Other clubs have been cancelled for the time being, including the Decathlon team that Ned had been anxious to join (and also bugging Peter to do so as well) ever since he’s gotten here.

Classes go in a haze, and during lunch, Peter and Ned are once again seated together as they discuss the difference of strength between the Hulk and Thor. One table next to them, a few of the students are chatting about the heroes as well, only on a whole different scale.

“For me it would be… Fuck Falcon, Marry Thor and… kill Widow,” somebody says. The other girls laugh, and Peter, too, snorts at the idea that _she_ would try and kill Widow. Peter got to meet her a few times, and he _knows_ there’s no way for anybody to kill her except if you’re the Winter Soldier – and even he has failed at it so far.

“I would go… Fuck Cap, marry Iron man and kill… Jeesh I don’t know, the Hulk?”

“Good luck with that,” another says. “Besides, I don’t think you’re the Cap’s type.”

Peter’s head shoots up in alarm upon that. Has anybody figured out that Steve might possibly but very surely have a crush on a certain super-intelligent billionaire? A crush that even Peter shouldn’t know about but does because he’s seen the guy stare and pine for the past two months? A crush that may or may not be returned but it’s not easy to say since said super-intelligent billionaire is master in keeping his thoughts of that quiet?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I got the best gaydar in this entire school, and I can tell you right here that our beloved Captain America doesn’t swing for your team,” the boy sitting at that table says. From the way he’s speaking, Peter quickly figures out that he probably knows what he’s talking about.

“Well, then, if your radar is so good, you spotted any other gay Avengers?” the girl asks mockingly, and the boy holds up his finger to think. Before Peter can hear what he’s going to say, Ned starts talking.

“They’re just telling crap,” the boy mutters under his breath, and Peter suddenly finds himself snorting.

“He’s actually kind of right,” Peter gets out before realizing what he’s just said. Immediately, his hand flies up to his mouth, and his eyes go wide open. He feels like he can’t breathe when Ned’s surprised expression meets his. Crap, crap, crap!

“Wha- how do you know?” Ned asks, and Peter groans when he comes to understand that he can’t take that back. Luckily, others haven’t heard it. The conversation next to them is still going.

“Because I think the guy has a massive crush on my dad,” he says, once again realizing too late that he said the wrong thing. In frustration he smashes his head against the table and groans loudly. What’s next? Revealing that he’s Spider-Man? That would bake the cake!

“Your dad? Peter I thought you lived with your Aunt?” Ned asks, now obviously completely confused. Peter shakes his head and smashes his forehead a few times more to punish himself. Then he looks up, holding up his hand pleadingly.

“Please, please, _please_ never repeat what I’m about to tell you now,” Peter begs of him. He doesn’t know Ned all that well, but he knows he can trust him about this. They’re both friendless ‘losers’ who don’t stand out in school. He can share this.

“Okay, I promise,” Ned assures him, still not sounding entirely keen on what is coming next. And then Peter starts talking. He explains _again_ about how he’s gotten to the suspicion that Mr. Stark might be his father, following by how he came to the discovery that he actually _is_. He tells everything while keeping the Spider-Man stuff out of it, explaining how he got into the Stark Internship, how at first the plan seemed to fail but eventually succeeded when Mr. Stark invited him to work at the Compound instead. And as Ned listen, Peter feels another weight escape his shoulders. Just like when he did his story with his Aunt.

There are still worries, just a little less now.

“Okay okay, rewind, not only do you know practically _all_ of the Avengers,” Ned starts, but Peter quickly interrupts him to say that that’s not true, “but you’re also the secret and only heir to Stark Industries?”

Huh, Peter never really thought of it that way… Would he really be next in line to inherit his father’s company when he’s older? He doesn’t even want to think about that. He’s not a business-man, and he wouldn’t really care about all that money.

“Uh, apparently, so,” Peter huffs out. “But the problem is that Mr. Stark doesn’t know. And I don’t know how to bring it up with him without trying to sound like the kid that wants to pull a gigantic practical joke to become rich?”

Ned shrugs. “You convince him to do the DNA-test again? I’m sure he’ll believe you once he’ll get the truth.”

But Peter knows he can’t do that; if Mr. Stark would go to Dr. Cho about it, she would recognize Peter’s altered blood immediately. Other doctors would be fascinated by it, and research it further. They would know that Peter isn’t exactly a hundred percent human, but slightly spider as well. He can’t have the secret spreading further.

Harry already knows, and that already brings enough danger with it.

Though, on the other hand; Dr. Cho _has_ to keep everything to herself. Would it be really that bad if she knew?

Next to them, the conversation is still going.

“My choice is simple; I would fuck Widow, Marry Cap and kill Iron Man,” one last girl says. Peter feels his entire body go cold at the confidence the girl has about her decision. He shouldn’t let it bother him, but it still does.

“Wait, why would you kill Iron Man?” another asks. The girl shrugs.

“Because he’s just a rich bastard. Besides, the suit can just be remade, no matter who is flying it. See War Machine, practically the same, just a better hero inside,” she explains. And Peter then stands up angrily, causing his chair to scrape over the floor and make a painful sound that could make ears bleed.

The people around him turn to look at him, some of them confused as to why the school-nerd would be looking so pissed-off right now. But Peter glares at the girl who just had no trouble insulting his father. Oh, how he wishes he could tell her off, explain to her that she’s wrong and that Mr. Stark _is_ an amazing hero even outside the suit. But he doesn’t.

He stays quiet, because this can’t blow out much more. So instead, he grabs his plate and takes it back to clean it away. Then, he hurries out of the cafeteria, Ned hurriedly following him. He needs a little moment to breathe. Or to punch something.

Anything that could get this anger away from him.

The rest of the day – heck, even the rest of the week – Peter receives stares from the people that saw him storm off.

  

* * *

 

 

Steve stays gone for six days.

Granted, it’s not as long as Tony would have expected, but it’s still _six_ days. Most of them filled with Tony roaming around the compound with Rhodey whenever Peter isn’t there. Sometimes they sparred, sometimes they played chess. There are few occasions Vision joined them, and the game would be a hopeless case since the android always won.

The days that Peter is there, the two Avengers decided not to look after Tony anymore; not because they think Peter can do the job for them, but mostly because it’s just the two of them, and they would like to enjoy some parts of their day without babysitting Tony, which the man obviously understands.

But that means that Tony is left alone with Peter; the genius sixteen-year-old teenager with mental issues and who also happens to be Tony’s only (as far as he knows) son. Said son who _knows_ that Tony is his father, but doesn’t know that Tony knows.

Heck, it’s getting complicated here.

Peter is suspicious of something; Tony knows it. That has probably something to do with the fact that Tony keeps on staring at his son without really thinking about it. Each time Peter is looking away, working on whatever next Tony is going to add to this suit they’re making, the inventor takes a little time to once again take in what he has created without knowing it.

But, that’s the thing right there; all he’s created about Peter is just the shell. He sees it in Peter’s nose, and his eyes. He sees it in the small freckles on his cheeks, or in his smile. But that’s about all he’s done to create Peter.

And he wishes he’d done more. Or that he’d at least had a chance to do so.

Everything that makes Peter _Peter_ is the result of his parents, or his Aunt and Uncle. They made Peter into the brave teenager that he is today. They’ve had his baby-years, taught him how to walk or talk. They changed his diapers, went to his parent-teacher conferences. They helped him with his homework, and gave him all their wisdom about the world.

Tony has had no part in that. Thanks to the choice Mary made, Tony has never had any influence in Peter’s life. 

Aside for, maybe, the Iron Man and the Avengers-part.

Today, on the fifth day that Cap is gone, Tony sits in his workshop once more. Vision has already left, though what he likes to do in his spare time, nobody really knows.

Tony is tinkering with a heating layer he’s going to add into the fabric of the suit when Peter curses and something falls down to the ground. Tony startles, immediately glancing to where Peter is sitting   finding him at his usual desk – because he’s already got his _own freaking desk_ here!

“Pete, you alright?” Tony asks. He drops his stuff and stands up.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I just accidentally cut myself,” Peter assures him, but Tony is not so easily sated. When he stands next to Peter, he takes the hand the teenager is directing towards his mouth and inspects the cut on the boy’s finger. It doesn’t look too deep, but it must have stung.

“I have some antiseptic, wait here for a moment,” Tony tells him, but Peter shakes his head.

“No, I’ll be fine. I was just startled,” Peter responds. Tony gives him a long look before the teenager starts to get uncomfortable. Then eventually he gives up. “Alright, I’ll wait here.”

Smug because of his victory, Tony walks away from the desk and heads to the counter where all his medical stuff is put. There have been too many times where he’s had to patch himself up, so he’s gotten an entire stash out here instead of having to call Pepper all the time to bring things down.

Once Tony returns with a cotton drenched in cleaning alcohol, he feels Peter’s eyes on him. He’s aware the teenager is looking at him with those big brown peepers, but he tries not to let it show. He doesn’t need Peter to start asking questions, because first Tony needs somebody to talk about the issue with.

Or, somebody else, that is. Because when he told Rhodey, all he got was laughter and a ‘I knew there would at least be _one_ mini-you walking around’ and one more ‘just freaking tell the kid, Tony. It’s not like he doesn’t already know’. Tony needs a second person to confirm this course of action, and calling Pepper is not a good idea.

Vision reminds him too much of JARVIS to try that. The only two he’d consider telling this two are Nat and Steve, and while everything inside him is telling him to go for the latter, his brain is warning him that, no, he should tell Nat. She will know what the best course of action will be.

Or maybe she’ll glare at him and think him an idiot for wanting to bring his drama to her.

“Mr. Stark, is everything alright?” Peter asks, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I’m fine, kid,” Tony assures him.

“It’s because… you said we needed to talk that day with the principal, but so far you haven’t said anything about it,” Peter continues. Tony sighs as he puts a bandage on Peter’s bloody finger. He’s cleaned it, but it won’t stop bleeding so it’s better to just put something on it for a moment. At least, that’s how Tony does it all the time.

“I don’t really think it’s my place to give you a hard time about that, Peter,” Tony says, hating himself for it because he knows he’s right. He’s got no right to scold Peter for punching another kid, no matter how much of a bully he is.

“Isn’t it?” Peter asks in a whisper, probably not wanting Tony to hear it. But the man does, and he looks up to him with wide eyes and a mouth fallen open.

Is this what Peter wants? Does he want Tony to be his father? To be the parent that helps him with his homework in those few years he’ll still have some? Or to talk to about some girl that he likes? Does he want Tony to be the one to congratulate him when he does something right, or to scold him when he’s done something bad?

 “I think you know you shouldn’t punch kids, and I know that kid pushed your buttons that day. I’m not saying that excuses you, but… I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have punched him either had I been in your shoes,” Tony says while cleaning up the mess and closing the first aid box again. Before he heads back to the counter, he turns to Peter and puts a hand on his shoulder. “If you ever… want to tell me about what happened in that bell-tower, I will listen.”

Peter’s eyes are a bit wet when Tony says that, but the hard stance in his jaw indicates that Peter is not trying to show his emotions about it. Then he nods and looks down.

“Or, if you want to tell me about Gwen, I would love to hear about her as well.”

Peter smiles lightly before letting the first tear roll out of his eye. Tony panics; it wasn’t his intention to make the kid cry! He can’t comfort people, he’s horrible at it! Usually he just buys them presents and hopes that it distracts them from whatever happened.

“Uh,” Tony gets out, squeezing Peter’s shoulder a bit. Then the teenager takes a step forward and puts his forehead against Tony’s shoulder as he cries some more. Awkwardly, Tony raises his hands and gently taps Peter on the back. “It’s alright, Peter.”

Here they are; two people suffering from depression who also happen to be father and son, holding each other in a loose embrace that makes Tony shiver. Never once has his father held him like this. Howard never even kissed him goodnight or gave him a hug when they saw each other again after a long time. Now, standing like this, Tony never really realized he doesn’t ever want to let go at all.

But eventually, Peter pulls back. He uses his sleeves to dry his tears away, and then he lets out an awkward chuckle. Tony just clears his throat, and the two take a step back, probably right on time before he lets out the famous ‘I am your father’-quote without thinking better of it.

“Uh, do you have any more of those feedback-papers that I have to fill in for school?” Tony asks in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. For his internship, in order to earn himself more grades at school, Peter has to hand in some documents with positive feedback he’s gotten from his workplace. As far as Tony knows, at first Peter handed it to Francis back when he still worked in the tower. Now, Tony, too, has already gotten a few of them.

While normally he doesn’t take paperwork so seriously, with this he’s paid all his attention to it. At first out of a strange sense of loyalty towards Mary. Now, though, it’s because he wants his son to succeed his year. Peter is not out of trouble yet, but he’s almost there. His grades have gone up surprisingly fast, and despite the two unfortunate occasions of detention, his teachers seem be happy with his progress.

“Yeah, I already filled in my part, though I’m running out of things to say without revealing our super-secret project,” Peter admits with a light chuckle. His eyes are still red, but there are no more tears in his eyes. Relieved, Tony takes the paper, pulls out another chair to Peter’s desk and sits down while motioning for Peter to sit down next to him.

“Tomorrow you just write that you updated Dum-E’s protocol or something,” Tony tells him while taking a pen.

“And get another detention for trying to make the teacher believe you’ve got a robot called ‘dummy’?” Peter asks, now laughing genuinely. As Tony writes stuff down (only positive things), he, too, chuckles a bit because of it.

“We can add a picture of you and Dum-E, then. His name is very obviously written on his base,” Tony says calmly. “Now what should I say? That you do a _spectacular_ job, or an _amazing_ one?”

“Uh, I don’t think the teachers will go for either,” Peter admits. Tony snorts before going with _extraordinary_ instead. “Do you know when the others will be back?”

Tony shakes his head as he finishes his sentence. “No clue. They’ve left a few messages to report what they’ve gotten so far, but nothing about when they’ll be back. What, you’re missing Wanda?” Tony wiggles his eyebrows, and Peter pokes him in the arm in return.

“Shut up,” he responds with red cheeks. Tony can’t help but laugh even more. He knows that Peter and Wanda will never be a thing, but he can’t help but want to tease a little bit about it. Peter’s probably not even ready to think about new romance, right now. It hasn’t even been a year.

“Oh, impolite to mentor? That deserves a mention in here,” Tony bluffs, and Peter quickly pulls the paper out from under his hands and tries to run away with it.

“No, no no!” he calls out in a faked panic, and once more, the two of them start laughing. Tony feels light inside, with something feeling like luck welling in his chest. His lips seem to be going permanently upward. His heart is beating faster as he sees Peter there next to Dum-E, protesting when Dum-E takes the piece of paper from him and starts rolling off – copying Peter.

He’s never felt more lucky than right now; his kid, right here. No matter how horrible life has treated him, he’s not unable to laugh again. And it gives Tony this weird feeling of wanting to pull him into his arms again, and never to let go. It’s only been 5 days, but this has been building up for much longer. That protective vibe he’s been feeling around Peter has been there since the beginning.

Even if Peter hadn’t been his biological son, Tony is sure that he would have considered him his either way. Everything about the kid screams ‘mine! Stay off!’, and Tony isn’t sure if that should worry him or not.

At eight, Happy arrives to take Peter back home and Tony heads to the gym to work a bit on his sparring with Rhodey. At midnight, surprisingly, Tony goes to bed, more tired than he’d imagined. The moment he lies down, he’s gone, lulled into a deep sleep, only to be awakened again five hours later when he hears the Quinjet land on the platform.

Steve is back.

Before realizing it, Tony throws the blankets off and jumps out of the bed with a speed he didn’t know he had. By the time he’s in the hallway, he sees Nat and Wanda already heading towards the bathroom with their towels in hand. Sam is carrying some things out of the Quinjet, and Clint is popping open a beer.

He hears Steve before he sees him. The man is calling out some more instructions to some of the workers. Things about bringing weapons away for inspection and whatever else. Tony doesn’t listen, instead hurrying to the source of the voice.

Seeing Cap, completely filthy from dirt where his mask hasn’t been, Tony finds his breath catching. He doesn’t know why his impulses brought him here. Hadn’t he just told himself days earlier that he wouldn’t think too much into whatever is happening between him and Steve? How is it that, now he’s right here again, those ideas have flown out the window without a single warning?

“Tony, you’re up?” Steve asks when he sees Tony standing there, wearing his dark tee and grey sweatpants, bare feet on the cold floor. Cap, in turn, is still in his uniform. There’s no obvious blood on him, just dirt and a few scrapes. Tony walks towards him without saying anything, but after two steps he stops himself.

There are too many people around. He doesn’t want them talking about this. Not yet…

“Uh, yeah,” Tony gets out then, scratching his hair. “You should get washed, you’re filthy.”

Steve looks down at his appearance and then chuckles while shrugging.

“I know… got thrown into the mud,” he explains. Tony feels the corners of his lips go up, and then he blinks a few more times before turning back to the hallway that leads to his room. He has no doubt that Steve would follow him once he’s washed up.

And he’s right. Twenty minutes after that, there’s a knock on the door. Tony storms up, opens it, and before he can get out a greeting Steve’s lips are once again pressed against his. Tony closes his eyes, shuts the door with his foot without moving another inch of his body, and just revels in the kiss.

Steve smells nice now that he’s clean again. Like flowers, somehow, but in combination with… cherry, maybe?

“Thought about this the entire time,” Steve admits against his lips in a groan. Tony lets out a breath before starting to pull Steve along with him.

He can’t say that he’s been thinking about the same thing, but he can’t help but admit that he likes this. Steve feels amazing, so close to him, and for a moment all his worries about Peter are gone.

So, wanting the distraction more than ever, Tony pulls Steve’s shirt up while still guiding him towards the bed. Steve doesn’t complain at all. Not the entire night they spend together, bodies close and lips locked on each other almost constantly.

It’s sweaty and it gets Tony breathless a few times as they move together despite the awkwardness in it as well. They don’t go all the way – they’re not ready for that. But every moment spent together is just as enjoyable.

And at noon the next day, Tony wakes to find a sleepy Steve next to him, and he smiles. Steve, in return, smiles as well, reaching out his hand to get some strands of hair away from Tony’s face.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Tony finds himself saying in all honesty. Steve leans forward to kiss him once more.

“I’m glad to be back,” he answers.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, two chapters today!  
> Chapter warning:  
> \- violence  
> \- wounds, surgery

“So the mission was a bust?”

“Rumlow escaped before we managed to capture him. Luckily nobody got hurt… He also seems to have taken up the persona of ‘Crossbones’ or something. It’s what his workers call him.”

“That’s a lame nickname, must be a lame guy.”

“He was friendly enough before he turned out to be HYRDA. Then he tried to attack me in an elevator.”

“Elevators aren’t for attacking. Unless it’s of the consensual sexual type.”

“Tony…”

“You’re laughing, and you know it.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

And sure, Steve does.

They’ve been lazy in bed for the past hour since they woke up, but the first half hour had been filled with just making out. Tony has to admit that it had been a bit weird, feeling such a muscular – and masculine – body underneath his hands instead of a lean and slender one. Luckily, Steve seems to have shaved before coming here, otherwise Tony’s mind would have been even more fucked at the addition of sudden facial hair, as well.

After thirty minutes of just breathing heavily together with their lips locked and hands roaming everywhere, the two men take another breather. And that’s when Steve came to lie down on his back, and Tony rolled over to his side, holding his head up in his hand while letting the other one draw figures over Steve’s chest. The sheets are pulled up to their middle, but they’re still wearing their underwear, never having taken them off.

Another chill passes through Tony; he’s practically naked underneath the sheets with Steve Rogers… Who would ever have thought?

When Steve leans up to kiss Tony quiet, their roles reverse. Tony comes to lie down on his back, and Steve leans above him, their eyes looking deeply into the other and their lips stuck in a permanent smile. Tony reaches up his hand to pass it over Steve’s cheek, seeing how the man enjoys the touch.

“I’ve enjoyed this morning lie-in very much, Steve,” Tony starts. Steve’s smile falters a little bit, as if he’s afraid about what’s coming next.

“But…?” he asks.

“But… I have something to report from my side as well, and I really need your input on it,” Tony admits. Steve then visibly relaxes. “What, you thought I was going to _dump_ you already?”

“Well, is it a possibility? To be dumped? Not now, just… in general?” Steve asks, uncertain. Tony stays quiet for a moment while he thinks that through.

“Maybe a bit too soon to decide, no?” he says after a moment of thought. Steve hesitates before nodding, and then he lies back down on his side. Tony copies him.

“What is it you need my input for?” Steve then asks. One hand rests under his head, but the other leans forward and slowly strokes Tony’s side. Luckily, Tony isn’t ticklish or he would have been laughing the entire time.

“I got an automatic message from Mary,” Tony admits, figuring it’s best to get it all out at once. Steve frowns a bit, stopping the movement from his hand for a few seconds before resuming. Then he nods.

“Peter’s mother,” he states. Tony nods “Alright, what did it say?”

“Nothing much, just her apology, and explanation as to why she broke all contact. Also to tell me Peter’s my son.”

Oops, that came out _way_ too casually. Steve’s hand already pulls back in surprise, and he sits up.

“Your _son_?! How...? Why…? And you’re just _okay_ with that?!” Steve almost shouts. Tony, too, sits up before pulling the blanket back up to cover the two of them again.

“Of course I’m not just _okay_ with that, Steve! I just learned I have a sixteen-year-old son! How do you think I’m feeling?”

“Does he know?” Steve asks, and Tony shrugs.

“He knows. I know he knows. He doesn’t know that I know, though,” Tony explains casually. “That’s the problem, should I tell him I do?”

Steve frowns before taking Tony’s hands into his own.

“Why on Earth wouldn’t you, Tony?” Steve asks, and to be honest, he’s got him there. There’s no _good_ reason as to why Tony would keep his trap shut about it all. What change is it going to bring into Peter? He already _knows_ for crying out loud! Nothing much will change, right?

“I don’t really know how to bring it up, though,” Tony admits. Steve gives him a small smile and reaches out his hand again, resting it against Tony’s cheek.

“Just talk to him. If he already knows, he won’t be as shocked as you expect him to be.”

Steve may be right there. Tony nods before leaning forward once more, crashing their lips together again. Despite the anxiety he’s feeling about having to tell Peter the truth, right now he feels nothing other than contentment.

Steve is here, next to him, and as they continue their kiss, Tony realizes that, all along, Pepper might have been right about this.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s taken a whole week for Aunt May to let him off the hook. That whole week, whenever he wasn’t at school or with Mr. Stark, Peter spent trying to help out in the apartment even more than before. He cleaned the floors, filtered his closet by throwing out the clothes he would never wear anymore, and did the dishes and laundry. In the morning, he sometimes even prepared some breakfast for Aunt May, that he would bring to her bed to surprise her.

But now Peter is free again, and the first thing he does is put back on the suit and swing his way through the streets of New York.

It’s been only a week, but it felt like much longer. With school and the internship combined, he already had so little time to just do this, but he has a free day, today, so he’s going to make the best of it. So Peter does his usual patrol, swinging above New York and dropping down whenever he sees something that isn’t alright.

The first example is when a young man suddenly starts running with an old woman’s purse. Immediately, Peter does into pursuit. Without warning, he pulls the guy up, binds him into his web for the police to find, and quickly offers the woman her bag again. He tries to refuse when she gives him a few dollar bills, but she seems adamant on giving it to him.

The second example is the shop mugger, who holds up a gun towards the cashier with a cry that he wants the money – it’s always the same with these guys. Peter quickly pulls the gun away with his web, and then immobilizes the mugger, once more serving him on a platter for the police. He always disappears before they can get there, since they still don’t really like him.

George Stacey must still be rubbing off on them.

Peter’s third ‘job’ is when a bus full of children suddenly seems to lose control. As the thing seems to be heading towards Stark Industries (what are the odds?), Peter quickly jumps to the rescue and stops the thing with all the power he has, including with what must be over fifty webs to pull the bus back. Once he’s sure that the children are safe – and after some reporter took a picture of him with their grateful little faces, Peter hurries off again. By the time he’s on the roof of some random building, once again changed back into his normal clothes, Peter lies back down and takes a moment to breathe.

Sadly, that is not granted to him. His eyes fly open when a cold shudder is going through him again – the Spider-sense! – and before he knows it, he’ll pulled up into the air again. _Thanks for the warning in advance, man!_ Peter thinks bitterly, realizing how utterly useless the spider-sense has been right now.

One look up indicates that, surprise, surprise, it’s once again the Goblin.

“Oh, come on! Aren’t you getting tired of this?!” Peter shouts to the guy. The Goblin just laughs but otherwise doesn’t respond to him. Peter groans and throws his head back, not really keen on falling again. Sure, he’s still on his meds, but he doesn’t want to actively trigger himself into another panic attack.

But the Goblin doesn’t seem to just want to fly him somewhere. That much is clear when suddenly he’s grabbed by the throat and thrown against the wall. A sharp sting hits in his back, and the tears already starts welling up in his eyes. This hurts, damn it!

“It’s about time for me to get rid of you, isn’t it?” The Goblin hisses at him. Peter grits his teeth together and turns his head to the side. There’s no witty comeback coming from him, only grunts and wishes that somebody quickly comes to his help. Normally he would have taken care of the Goblin himself, but whatever he’s done to his back… holy crap, this hurts like hell!

“AAAH!” Peter shouts out when the Goblin pulls him away from the wall, only to throw him back against it. Whatever is stinging into his back only hurts twice as much now. Peter shakes his head, feeling his breath slowly leaving him. “H-Ha-Harry! D-don’t do th-this!”

The Goblin just snorts.

“You’ve forgotten again, haven’t you? Harry’s _dead_!” The Goblin sneers before throwing Peter away, literally. He feels himself fly in the air at an alarming speed, but it’s not long before the flying turns into falling. With trouble, he reaches up his arm to shoot out some webs towards a building that’s nearing, but in his horror he realizes that they don’t work. The Goblin must have broken them!

Before he can collapse against the building, the Goblin picks him up again and flies him back into the air. Once more he’s grabbed by the throat. Peter’s hands try to get it off him as he’s getting a bit short on breath. He tries to scratch the Goblin’s hands – which is useless since he’s wearing gloves. Tries to kick him in the groin or the shins. Nothing works.

“How you’re feeling right now? Knowing that your friend is currently killing you? That’s how _I_ felt, back when you stabbed me in the back,” the Goblin hisses. There’s a punch into his face. Blood streams from Peter’s nose.

He’s going to kill him. Peter needs to get out of here, _now_!

With the Goblin still focused on trying to beat the crap out of Peter, the teenager secretly grabs his phone from his coat, making sure that it sticks against his hand. It wouldn’t help if it would fall before he could call for help.

Peter remembers one of the codes FRIDAY gave him. Next to the override-one, there’s also a request for immediate help. It contains a certain combination of numbers that needs to be typed in on the phone, which would alert FRIDAY immediately. Peter can’t care too much right now that FRIDAY keeps watch on his phone in the first place.

So Peter, blindly, types in the combination. _+646766234*#_. After that, he tucks the phone back into his jacket right before another punch is landed on his face.

Meanwhile, a little further away, Tony and Steve are just about ready to leave Tony’s bedroom at last when FRIDAY shares the urgent news. Tony’s face turns white at the mention of it. Steve gives him one look before nodding, and after that, Iron Man flies away hurriedly, with Vision and War Machine right behind him.

Peter is already sure that he’ll have two black eyes by the time the Goblin seems to tire from punching him all the time. In the small moment of distraction in searching another form of attack, Peter once again kicks him, only this time in the stomach. He uses all the force he has, and he’s glad to see that he’s managed to take the Goblin by surprise.

The hold on Peter’s neck loosens, and suddenly he’s falling – again. But Peter doesn’t scream. All he can do is close his eyes while letting out a long breath.

He’s not worried, because he timed it perfectly. In the corner of his eyes, with the limited sight he has left through his tears, he saw the three figures already nearing them. Which is why he took the chance to land that kick in the first place. That way, two can fly after the Goblin and hopefully _catch_ him for real, and one of them can go after Peter.

He doesn’t know who came to his rescue. He doesn’t care, either, right now. Because ten seconds have already passed, and he’s still falling.

“PETER!!”

That’s Mr. Stark’s voice! Peter opens his eyes, seeing Iron Man hurrying towards him with that usual blunt stare the mask gives off. But Peter is sure that, behind that helmet, the man looks scared, terrified. Peter holds up an arm, reaching out towards Mr. Stark, but slowly beginning to fear that he might have miscalculated by a few seconds. How far is he until he hits the ground?

“Don’t worry, I’m almost there!” Mr. Stark assures him, but Peter isn’t sure what to believe anymore. The sound of the wind is strong in his ears, and they start to hurt a little bit. Further away, War Machine and the Goblin are, once again, throwing punches at each other.

Just when Peter starts to hear the sound of the traffic getting nearer, Iron Man’s metallic arms wrap around him at last. Together they drop a little bit more while slowing down – to lessen the blow – and then the suit starts to fly them back up in the air, speeding all the way until they’re back at the compound where a few other people are watching them land in surprise.

Mr. Stark jumps out of the suit immediately after they’ve landed, and before Peter really knows it, his arms are wrapped around him in a tight hug. Mr. Stark is breathing heavily, in shocks – as if he’s at the verge of crying. Peter wants to assure him that he’s fine, but he knows he’ll be lying about that.

“Peter! I lost it when I got the message! Are you alright?” Mr. Stark asks without pulling away. Peter, with eyes barely able to open, just nods and gently taps him on the back in return. His throat feels hoarse, and he’s sure he’s dripping blood all over Mr. Stark’s shirt.

“I’m fine, sir,” Peter whispers out. Mr. Stark then pulls away and shakes his head.

“No, you are _not_ fine! You look like that creep used you as his personal punching bag, which he probably did!” he tells him. Then he turns around and addresses the few people standing there. “Somebody get Dr. Cho here!”

One woman nods before hurrying inside. Just as she passes through the door, Steve Rogers does the same but from the opposite direction. Once he sees Peter and Tony standing there, he runs towards them. He, too, looks horrified at Peter’s condition.

“Oh my God, what happened?!” he asks, already pulling at Peter’s arm until it’s hanging over his shoulder. Mr. Stark does the same, and together they start guiding him back inside. Peter wants to protest, because he can walk fine on his own – thank you very much – but then decides against it when he feels how much his back aches, again.

“That Goddamn Goblin came back!” Mr. Stark grumbles. “That’s the second time he grabbed him already!”

“The guy’s too unpredictable, we need to bring him in as soon as we can.”

They keep on talking around Peter, but the teenager doesn’t really listen anymore. The words sound faded around him after a while. His head hurts too much to focus on it. After a while, Dr. Cho arrives with a few nurses and a gurney. They put Peter on top of it, and then roll him away towards her office. Peter isn’t really sure about what happens after that. He must have lost consciousness after all, since he suddenly wakes up in a dark room with only the sound of what must be a heart-monitor that fills his ears.

What the hell? Why is his heart being monitored? Peter tries to move, but feels a sudden sting of pain and lets out a groan.

“Don’t try to move, sweety,” Aunt May’s voice suddenly says. Against her advice, Peter turns his head to his left, finding his Aunt sitting there, looking worried. When she squeezes his hand, he realizes she must have been holding it the entire time. “You had a metal pin in your back that punctured your spleen and caused for a lot of internal blood-loss. But they discovered it quickly and they managed to stitch it back up.”

He’s been in surgery? That must be why his throat feels like a tubed has been shoved through it – because there has been one _actually shoved through it_! Peter closes his eyes and turns his head back until he’s facing the ceiling.

“You’ve got a concussion, as well, hence the dark room, including two concussed ribs. Dr. Cho will come by later to give us some more information,” Aunt May finishes. Peter startles a bit when he suddenly feels her lips on his forehead, but then he lets out a long breath.

“H-Harry?” Peter whispers out, opening his eyes again. Aunt May nods sadly.

“They caught him. They’ve got him somewhere, here. Dr. Cho and her scientists are trying to find a way to cure him from whatever he’s got,” she tells him. Then the door opens again – gently, it seems like nobody wants to make too much noise here – and Mr. Stark walks inside the room. When he sees that Peter is awake, relief shows all over his face.

“Finally,” he breathes out while hurrying towards Peter. Silently, Steve closes the door again behind him, but the Captain stays there, not coming closer. “Hey, champ, how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been tossed against a building a few times,” Peter tries to joke, but neither Aunt May nor Tony seem to be laughing. They now sit at either side of his bed, but while Aunt May keeps her hand on his, Mr. Stark seems hesitant on reaching out. Instead, he turns his head towards Steve, who is still standing at the door.

“Can you ask Dr. Cho for more painkillers?” he asks, and Steve nods before leaving the room again. Peter doesn’t think he needs more against the pain, but when he tries to shuffle again in his bed, he quickly realizes that, yes, he needs more.

Peter clears his throat, wanting to ask what exactly happened more when he was out. He _feels_ that something happened; things feel a bit awkward here, somehow. Mr. Stark is incredibly quiet, and Aunt May seems to shoot quick glances at the man before focusing on Peter again. _Please don’t tell me they did something they shouldn’t have done together_ , Peter thinks to himself. Sure, he’s aware that his Aunt looks great, but he really doesn’t need anything to happen between her and his father next to him.

“It’s a good thing FRIDAY gave you all of those codes,” Mr. Stark says without looking at Peter. Instead, the man is inspecting the infusion pump and the monitor that keeps on making noise.

“I’m sorry, I promised FRIDAY I wouldn’t use them unless it was _really_ necessary. And now I’ve used two of them already,” Peter whispers, a little bit ashamed that he’s been using Mr. Stark’s codes that freely. Of course, they were both urgent matters, but it doesn’t make him feel less horrible about himself.

“I’m not sorry. We could have lost you,” Mr. Stark says. “I’m glad FRIDAY gave them, just like I’m glad that you’re still here with us, son.”

Then, suddenly, there’s a hand behind his head, stroking through his hair. It’s not coming from Aunt May’s side, so Peter figures it must be Mr. Stark. He shudders a bit before the first tear rolls over his cheek. With a small groan, he turns towards his Aunt with a questioning look. The woman nods.

“He knows,” she says. And then Peter starts sobbing. Not in sadness, but rather out of joy. Because, _finally_ he knows! _Finally_ he doesn’t have to keep it quiet anymore. With the hand that isn’t attached to Aunt May, Peter reaches up towards Mr. Stark to grab his arm in a sudden need for contact, touch. And then the man, his father, responds by taking Peter’s hand into his own. He smiles once he feels a small kiss being pressed against his fingers.

Peter falls asleep again after Dr. Cho’s nurse injected some more painkillers. As he closes his eyes, he still has his aunt and his father holding his hands, and a smile on his lips.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony has never met May Parker before now. At least, not officially.

He did see her a few times back when that whole drama with Mary begun, but never had he spoken to her while he’d been sober. He can only vaguely remember her face, but has stated rather quickly that she looks extremely young for her age. She can’t be much older than Pepper, Tony thinks. Probably even the same age.

If she remembers the whole ordeal about Tony drunkenly standing in front of her house, requesting to speak to Mary, she doesn’t let it show at all. The moment she arrived at the Compound, after Tony called her, she’s only been nice to him.

And also completely honest.

“ _Listen, Peter told me this a little while ago, and he wants to keep this a secret for now but I figure it’s better you know it. He’s somehow figured out that you might be his father, and he’s been trying to spend time with you to figure out if he wants you in his life more permanently. I know he doesn’t want you to know yet, but it wouldn’t be fair to you to keep this quiet.”_

And Tony had been surprised, because apparently the Aunt knew as well. So Tony explained to her that he already knows about it, and they got to discuss at how they would tell Peter. Of course, by the time Tony left the room to get to the bathroom, no real plan had been put together and everything had just gone as an improvisation.

With Peter lying between them, and both May and Tony holding Peter’s hands, the two adults sit in comfortable silence. Peter is asleep, having slumbered about ten minutes ago. His face looks peaceful, but that doesn’t calm any of Tony’s nerves.

He’s been so close to losing Peter, today. Heck, it hasn’t even been a week since he found it out, and he’s already almost lost Peter once. It’s safe to say that he’s feeling like a pretty crap father right now.

“Did, uh, did you know? About me being Peter’s father?” Tony suddenly finds himself asking, curious for the answer. May clears her throat a bit, not looking away from Peter in the bed.

“I had my suspicions ever since Mary decided to shut you out right before ending pregnant with Peter,” she admits. “Of course, she never admitted, and I never asked.”

Tony nods, and then there’s another quiet moment.

“He’s going to be out of school for a while,” May suddenly says as Tony is starting to nod off. The man looks up, seeing May still staring down at Peter in concern. In agreement, he nods.

“He is,” Tony says.

“I don’t know how this is going to affect his grades, the woman admits sadly. Tony just sighs, realizing that, indeed, Peter isn’t really at the best spot at school. He really doesn’t need this setback.

“I’ll have a talk with the principal, maybe get his teachers to give him some extra work he can make while he’s at home,” Tony suggests, only to receive a long look from May. When he notices, he frowns for a moment, wondering if he did something wrong?

“You’re not what I expected, Tony Stark,” May suddenly admits. “When Peter told me about you, I couldn’t imagine a worse father for him. But now I see that I was wrong.”

Then she turns her head back to Peter, and starts stroking through the teenager’s hair.

“But that’s not fair of me. It’s probably some bit of jealousy as well,” she admits, smiling with tears in her eyes as she looks down at her nephews bruised face. “After his parents dropped him off at our house, Ben and I took care of him like he was our own. The idea of him having another father running around… I was just scared that he would run off to you.”

“I understand that,” Tony admits. Before he can speak again, the door opens again and Steve steps inside. He looks worried, casting a short glance towards Peter before turning to Tony. Slowly, he makes his way to the three, coming to stand still right next to Tony but still keeping a respectable distance between the two of them.

“How is he doing?” he asks.

“He’s asleep for now,” Tony says. Right now, in this instance, all he wants is to lean towards him, but there are two things holding him back; the first being May still standing in the same room with them, and the second the uncertainty of what exactly they’re supposed to be towards each other.

Then, May offers a simple solution by leaning back and rubbing her eyes before standing up. She lets go of Peter’s hand and starts stretching her arms.

“I’m in need of some coffee. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she says. “You need something?”

Tony shakes his head before offering May a short smile. The woman nods in return. Then she makes her way to the door and leaves them for a little while.

But instead of turning towards Steve immediately, Tony keeps to himself. He holds Peter’s hand, takes May’s place in stroking through Peter’s hair in a sudden need of touch.

Peter is quiet, unmoving. His eyes have already bruised, and there’s a cut on his cheek that has already been stitched by Dr. Cho earlier. His arms and legs look blue and purple as well, and there’s an IV passing some fluids with medication through his veins. Tony hates to see him like this.

“How are you holding up, Tony?” Steve asks quietly, respecting the distance between them. Tony just shrugs.

“I’m alright,” he assures him, but not really certain on who he’s trying to kid here. “I just- I wish he wouldn’t have been brought into this mess.”

“That’s understandable,” Steve tells him. Then, at last, there’s a sudden hand touching Tony’s shoulder. Without thinking of it, Tony leans a bit to the side, dropping his head back until it’s resting against Steve’s chest. The man, in return, lowers his hand until it’s on the small of Tony’s back.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Tony admits. Steve just nods, but doesn’t speak. Together, the two men look down at the sleeping figure of Peter. It’s crazy to think that just a few hours ago he had been lying on the operation table, cut open by Dr. Cho and her nurses as they tried to get the thing piercing Peter’s body out of there.

Tony startles a bit when he feels a sudden kiss on the top of his head, but then he relaxes once more. Steve is here, Peter is safe, and right now there’s nothing to worry about. So Tony turns his head to the side, pressing his face against Steve’s shoulder – trying not to think too much about the fact that he’s already feeling too comfortable with doing that.

Neither man sees Peter opening his eyes for a few seconds, but then closing them again with a smile on his face.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter! Only one, this time!! Don't want to run out of them before I finish the story ;-)   
> Enjoy! If there's any obvious mistakes, please don't be afraid to point them out.   
> Chapter warnings:   
> \- mentions of the latest Goblin-fight  
> \- Peter ships it

Nothing much changes after everything. Peter goes back to school, continues working at the internship, and still hangs out weekly with his aunt.

Being Spider-Man has taken a small moment of rest, until Peter’s all healed up again, but other than that, things are practically the same. Ned is still incredibly curious as to how the Avengers exactly are as persons, Michelle continues on staring at Peter with this huge distrust, Aunt May still seems to have this weird crush on Captain America (probably even more so now that she’s actually met the man), and Flash still seems intent on making Peter’s life a miserable hell.

The thing that has changed now, is Tony Stark himself.

First off, Peter can no longer get away with calling him ‘Mr. Stark’ or ‘sir’. The day after the surgery, when the man took a little walk with Peter sitting in the wheelchair, he kneeled down next to the teenager when they were outside, and put it to him simply:

“ _Listen, Peter, no more of this Mr. or Sir crap, alright? I know it’s probably early to go for the ‘dad’-title, but it’s either something like that or Tony.”_

_“Sure thing, Tony,”_ Peter had told him with a grin, glad that even Tony seems to understand that they’re not ready for the ‘dad’-card.

The other thing that’s changed is something Peter thinks only he is aware of. It’s what makes Aunt May’s small crush on Captain America a bit awkward as well, seeing as Peter is now absolutely and a hundred percent sure that Tony and Steve are in fact together.

They don’t show it, never when there’s someone else around, but Peter knows what he saw. And he’s glad for it; because he knows this is something that might help Tony, a lot. They’ve all been sad for such a long time, but now they can start being happy again.

Being excused from any form of physical education, Peter is seated on the sidelines doing some more homework he missed while his classmates are busy throwing balls at each other’s heads. Flash, of course, seems to be giving it his everything and shows no mercy at all, so it’s no surprise that Ned quickly comes to take place next to him.

“So do you have any idea how fast you were flying when Iron Man brought you back?” Ned asks, and Peter snorts. He’s been getting these types of questions for a while now, but Ned keeps on wanting to know more and more. It’s kind of hilarious, Peter thinks.

“In case you hadn’t noticed from what I told earlier, I was kind of bleeding to death on my way back,” Peter reminds him, and Ned’s mouth falls open in sudden realization before turning back around to look at the remaining kids on the field. When Michelle comes to sit by them, she doesn’t pay any attention to anybody, instead just scrolling down on her phone.

“Uh, you realize the coach can take that away from you if he sees that?” Ned asks, and Michelle shrugs.

“He won’t,” she says, sounding bored. “But I did want to show you _this_.” She shoves the phone in their direction, and puts the device on Peter’s lap. On it, a video starts playing. Though it’s shaky and pixelated, obviously recorded by a phone that zoomed in a lot, Peter recognizes what happens immediately.

It’s from when Harry attacked him. Peter can see the figure that is himself hanging in the air, held up by strong hands grabbing his throat and a fist slamming on his face again and again. He’s still bruised all over, which is probably why Flash has stayed clear for now.

“To me it seems like the guy has some sort of personal vendetta against you,” Michelle states while the video is still playing. Peter sees himself kicking Harry in the stomach before falling down. It looks much shorter than it felt when Iron Man grabs him and quickly flies him away from there. “Care to explain, Parker?”

Peter clears his throat and offers the phone back to Michelle before collecting his papers together and putting them into his bag. With his wound still stinging as he tries to get up, Peter attempts to get more distance between him and the girl who seems intent in finding out what exactly Peter is up to. What he wasn’t counting on was her following him the entire time.

“Hey, don’t ignore me! What does the Goblin want with you, and has it anything to do with the destruction of our hallway?”

Peter sighs but shakes his head.

“If the Goblin had been here, the school wouldn’t have been standing. A-and as to why he wants me, that’s none of your freaking business,” Peter tells her. Michelle shakes her head, her messy red curls swinging along with the movement.

“Wrong answer, Parker,” she tells him. Then she blocks his way, crossing her arms as she stares him down. Peter sighs and throws his arms up in the air.

“What do yo- what do you want from me, huh?” he asks in frustration. “W-want me to spill the beans? Well tough luck, I already have a therapist for that. Want me to talk about the fact that I almost fell to my death? You really want me to relive that memory that badly?”

Michelle’s face then falls, but only lightly. Then she takes a step back, and holds her hands up.

“I guess not,” she says, giving him once more the chance to get out of the room. Just as she opens her mouth to say something else, the coach calls out for her. They’re going to start over the game. With another stare, Michelle turns back towards the other students, and Peter exits the room.

He sighs when he feels his phone ring inside his jeans. Yeah, that’s another thing that’s changed since this week. Without looking at the screen, he picks it up.

“You really need to stop calling me during school hours, I’m fine,” Peter says while rolling his eyes. He walks through the locker room without needing to change, and hurries towards the door to continue working outside. After this, he still has biology before the school day is finished.

“ _And you need to stop picking up during school hours. This is me secretly testing you, and you’ve failed multiple times now,”_ Tony Stark’s voice says jokingly, and Peter once again rolls his eyes. Yeah, maybe one day he’d thought that having Iron Man as a father would be cool, but now he’s quickly come to realize that he’s not much different like other fathers – a huge dork, that is.

“Is there a particular reason for this phone call?” Peter asks, taking a seat at a bench underneath a tree and taking out the few pages of his homework there. As he continues the call, he starts tapping his pen against the paper.

“ _Yes, Steve seems to have made it clear to me that fathers do stuff with their kids, like playing ball or going to the movies or whatever,”_ Tony says. Peter nods.

“U-huh,” Peter hums out as he looks over the last few math-exercises. They don’t look too hard, really.

“ _And, I figured I have about sixteen years to catch up on being a good dad, so I thought we could, I don’t know, hang out? Maybe go watch a movie or something?”_

Peter chuckles at the awkwardness he knows Tony must be feeling right now.

“Sounds cool,” Peter assures him. “We’re going to the theaters? Or at the Tower?”

“ _I thought about the tower, maybe? Then you can have a look at the room I prepared there for you? Of course, you’re free to redecorate it to however you wish, but then at least you have somewhere to sleep if you would ever want to, you know, stay over.”_

Right, Tony said earlier that he would prepare a bedroom for Peter at the tower – not at the compound, since, according to him, it’s not really a safe place to stay at (probably with the fact that they've got Harry locked up there somewhere). To add to that, Tony also seems to have decided to move back, reclaiming his penthouse on the top floor.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Peter says, feeling a small thrill of excitement going through him at the idea that he’s going to have his own _bedroom_ there. “Is Steve going to join us?”

Okay, that last part is just added to tease him a bit. He knows Tony is going to get flustered after this, and he can already hear him sputter on the other side of the line.

“ _Wh- uh, no! Why would he-? This is father-son bonding time! No Steve!”_ Tony gets out, and Peter starts laughing. Just as he writes down the answer to his exercise, the school bell lets out a loud ring to indicate that it’s time.

“I’m just messing with you. I’ll see you after school at the compound?” he asks.

“ _No, we’re going to work at the tower for a little while,”_ Tony answers. Peter starts packing in his stuff.

“Is somebody going to join us at the tower, then?”

“ _No, why?”_

“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re still under watch. I don’t want to be the first son that has to remind his own father that he’s supposed to be nice to the babysitter.”

“ _You’re hilarious,_ ” Tony answers dryly. “ _Though I don’t want Cap to kill me, so the Compound it is, and afterwards the tower.”_

“No babysitter in the tower?”

“ _… crap. I’ll figure it out.”_

“Alright, see you then,” Peter says, and after a quick goodbye from Tony, the two hang up again. Peter quickly hides his phone away in his pocket, and then starts heading back inside. The other students already start piling up at their lockers, always in a hurry to get to their next class. Peter ignores them all, instead searching for Ned and finding him rather quickly.

After biology finishes, Peter heads towards the math-classroom to hand in his extra credit work. The teacher just gives him a sore smile – still not over the fact that he tried to convince her Tony Stark has a bot named Dum-E – and packs it in with all her other stuff. Peter doesn’t waste too much time being nice to her, instead hurrying back to Ned.

“So I was wondering if you might want to hang out?” Ned asks, holding up his phone to show Peter a picture. “I got this _amazing_ Star Wars puzzle that I thought we could put together!”

Peter grabs the phone and looks at the picture.

“Whoa! 1000 pieces! That’s awesome!” he exclaims. Ned nods enthusiastically.

“Yeah, we can go at my house, or maybe yours? You can choose!” he says, but Peter shakes his head sadly and hands the phone back.

“I- I can’t,” he admits. “I have the internship now, and then Tony wanted to watch a movie together – you know, the awkward ‘we’ve just discovered we’re related and now we want to bond’- bonding time.”

“Oh, alright,” Ned says, obviously disappointed.

“Let me tell you what, I’ll ask Tony if you can come along to the compound one day, alright? That way I can introduce you to all the Avengers!”

His face lights up again after that and he nods enthusiastically. They give each other a high five before Ned hurries towards the bus, and Peter makes a run for the back of the parking lot, where Happy is waiting for him in his most unnoticeable car – which is still pretty noticeable, of course.

“Hi Happy!” Peter exclaims loudly, the way he always does. Happy just nods at him and starts driving. He’s never been the most talkative towards Peter, but he doesn’t try to let it get to him. He’s sure it’s nothing personal.

The drive is silent as always, so Peter busies himself with texting Ned and Aunt May while reading through his literature text for tomorrow. It’s three boring pages of ancient English that he can’t for the life of him understand, but he’s sure he can bullshit his way through it like he always does. As long as he finishes the questions that go along with it.

The sun is shining high in the sky. It’s mid-April now, and spring is full in swing. Peter’s already left his coat at home, now daring to only walk outside in a thin sweater above his t-shirt. Knowing that there won’t be any crime-fighting for the following month, Peter isn’t bothering to put on the suit in the morning.

After Happy drops him off, the chauffeur opens the door for Peter and starts walking away again without saying anything to him. Peter just shakes his head before grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. It rained a bit earlier, so the grass is still wet.

Outside, he can see Steve and Sam sparring together. It seems like a lost cause for the Falcon, though Peter thinks the Captain is taking it easy on him. He decides not to interrupt him and just walks them by.

“Well well, if it isn’t Stark Junior,” somebody behind him suddenly says. Peter turns around to see Natasha sitting there on the ground, her hair put up in a messy bun, though a few strands are stuck against her sweaty face. She’s in training clothes as well, which means that she’s been working out as well. There’s an empty bottle of water at her feet, and another one in her hand.

“Hi Natasha,” Peter says, happy that he got the permission to call everybody with their first name here. Wanda, he would have done so anyway, but the others? No, he waited for permission on that one. “You’ve been working out?”

Natasha snorts and empties her bottle over her head.

“You know your father used to throw me that line as well, though of course _you_ don’t mean anything by it,” she jokes, and Peter frowns.

“Oh, please, don’t tell me about _that_!” he complains, and Natasha laughs as she stands up.

“Now, if you’re ever interested in getting some self-defense classes, you come to me, okay?” Natasha reminds him. Peter nods. “Of course, not immediately. First see that you get that wound in your back all healed up!”

In truth, the wound is already more healed than it should have been in the past week. Since Peter’s at the compound almost daily, Dr. Cho looks it over right before he gets to Tony, and since she’s not allowed to share anything about it, Peter’s pretty sure nobody is going to ask questions.

Well, except for her…

“Will do, Nat! Now I need to see the doc!”

“Run along, then!” Natasha calls out after him. Peter waves at her before running back inside. Then he starts a slow jog, nodding at all the people he sees inside. There’s Dr. Selvig – who still doesn’t really seem to know who Peter is, and sometimes just mistakes him for another intern (which he actually kind of is…) – and Jane Foster, followed by Darcy and that guy called Ian. Peter hasn’t really spoken a lot to them in the past, but he’s sure that, if he would ever get the chance, they might end up in an endless discussion about science.

Peter loves those kinds of discussions. They are the best – mostly because he learns a lot in them.

He passes Rhodey with a nod, gives Vision a high five – he’s been the lucky person to teach the Android how to do that – and receives an apple from Clint without asking for it. Enjoying the sweet, fruity snack, Peter knocks on the door of Dr. Cho’s office, and waits for her word to be taken inside.

She always opens the door personally, giving him a wide smile and pointing towards the chair. Peter nods at her, raising his hand with the apple in it and follows her instructions.

“How are you feeling, Peter?” Dr. Cho asks. Peter makes himself cozy on the chair and clears his throat.

“’m feeling fine. Time to take the stitches out, right?” Peter asks happily. He’s glad to be rid of them, since they itch a bit. His wound is literally too healed up to keep them in.

“That’s about right, yes,” Dr. Cho says with a smile, though there’s something in her expression that Peter can’t place. Confused, Peter frowns in a sudden fear that she’s going to bring him bad news. “Just take off the shirt and I’ll take care of it right away.”

Peter nods and does as he’s told, before lying back down on the bed. There’s a wound on his back, but also one on his stomach. The last one is a result of the immediate surgery he needed when they had to stitch up his spleen. It’s a small price to pay for not bleeding to death.

He doesn’t feel anything of the removal of the stitches, and before he knows it he can turn around again. Once he’s on his back, he sees how Dr. Cho works. It’s interesting, how quickly she can work on it. With a small knife, she cuts the strings open on one side, and with a pincer she pulls them out on the other. It doesn’t hurt, only tickles a bit.

“You’ve made a surprising recovery, Peter,” Dr. Cho starts. Peter nods in agreement, trying to pretend not to know anything about it. “The bruises on your face have faded already more than they should have in just a week, and this wound… The stitches could have been removed three days ago, I think.”

“Means you did a good job, right?” Peter suggests, and Dr. Cho just hums. Once she finishes with the last stitches, she moves up to throw everything away before cleaning her hands again, turning her chair back towards Peter.

“Let’s not fool anybody here, Peter. I know who you are. I’ve seen your blood before, and I recognized it immediately when I saw it again,” she says calmly. Peter bites on his lower lip, wondering if he should run away from this room. “I needed to do some more testing for the blood transfusion we had to give you during surgery. That, and the anesthesia wore off too fast. That was indication enough that you weren’t exactly _normal_ in your fysiology.”

But then Dr. Cho gives him another smile and shakes her head.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m not telling anybody, nor are my fellow surgeons or nurses. Though I am interested in knowing how exactly Tony Stark’s son ended up becoming Spider-Man? Or how you even got Tony’s blood in the first place?”

Peter blushes a bit at that.

“Uh, bitten by a radioactive spider at Oscorp is all I can give about my superhero origin-story,” Peter shrugs. “But if it’s alright with you, I need to head back towards the workshop; still need to work, even if my boss is my father.”

Dr. Cho raises an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed. But then she nods towards the door.

“Alright then, you can go.”

Peter shoots up, already on his way out when suddenly he stops in his tracks. Then, without saying anything, he pulls out his wallet, opens it up, and takes the small glass test-tube he’s taken to always carry around with him.

“This is the little sucker, in case you want to know more,” Peter says, handing the tube with the dead spider still inside. Dr. Cho’s mouth falls open in surprise, but then she takes it from him. With a smile on her lips, she nods towards Peter in thanks. After that, Peter hurries out of the room, running to the workshop as fast as he can. There, he can see Tony already in an argument with Dum-E while Wanda is seated further away, reading a magazine.

Looks like it’s her turn, today! Peter doesn’t mind at all!

“Hey Tony! Hi Wanda!” Peter says, throwing his bag at his desk before running towards where his father is standing. The man just waves lightly, but Wanda waves back. She drops her magazine and walks to Peter, already holding out her arms.

“Hello, Peter,” she says before wrapping him in a strong hug. “You look well.”

“Feeling well,” Peter says in confidence. Wanda just smiles at him.

“You’re late, Peter,” Tony adds to it. Oh, he doesn’t sound all too happy, today? What happened with the good mood he had on the phone?

“Yeah, just came back from Dr. Cho. She took out the stitches,” Peter explains. Tony looks at him the, all of the sudden, eyes wide again.

“Right, I forgot. I’m sorry, I’m a bit… annoyed…” Tony admits. Peter shakes his head and shrugs.

“It’s alright. Dum-E’s been working on your system? I can give you plenty of reasons why you should donate him to an orphanage, you know,” Peter jokes. Tony laughs as well, but Wanda seems shocked, immediately hurrying towards Dum-E and shielding him away from the two.

“No, it’s mostly that friend of yours. She came into the office to get a job, claiming that I’m stealing you away from her,” Tony mutters then, sitting back down on the chair. He rubs his forehead while looking to the side.

“Who, Yaël?” Peter asks in confusion, and Tony nods. “What kind of job did she want?”

“She wanted to water the flowers, of all things. We don’t even have flowers here, right?” Tony turns to Wanda, who just shrugs.

“ _We have an amount of three hundred and seventy-six flowers at the tower, and one hundred ninety-four here at the compound, sir_ ,” FRIDAY adds in. Peter and Wanda start laughing, but Tony just groans.

“Anyway, since she came storming in without an appointment, security dragged her away before I could even give her an answer – which would have been ‘no’, of course,” Tony says. Peter snorts once more before shaking his head. He takes another bite from his apple, and then throws it into the bin with perfect precision.

“You don’t really seem to like her, do you?” Peter asks curiously. He leans towards the desk and takes the small holographic projection that is floating above the desk and starts toying with it to have a look. It looks like some more things for the suit, and Peter is almost wondering where they’re going to fit it all. He hasn’t seen the final result of it, only the parts that he’s helped make. Tony always said that he would see what it looks like after the person it’s meant for will wear it.

“It doesn’t really matter. Let’s just get to work, alright? We’re almost finished with the suit!” Tony says, trying to lighten the mood with a sudden enthusiasm Peter isn’t entirely feeling. He decides it’s better to just ask Yaël about it later on.

As usual, they work together. Wanda stays at Peter’s side to help him out, but she’s relieved by Steve after a while, who doesn’t take his usual place at the couch but comes where Wanda had been seated. Peter doesn’t mind the extra hands he’s offering, so he’s not saying anything about it.

Neither is he mentioning the thousands of subtle glances the two adults here are giving each other. They’re like lovestruck teenagers, and Peter is almost ready to run out of the room from the frustration they’re creating.

Two hours later, after getting another positive feedback-form from Tony, it’s about time to head out at last. While Tony is out taking a quick shower, Peter hurriedly calls his Aunt to warn her that he won’t be coming home tonight. She assures him that it’s okay, since she has a night-shift at the hospital anyway. They make arrangement for tomorrow, and then Peter puts his phone aside again.

Steve is still here, awkwardly looking around the workshop. Peter gives him a short glance before sighing.

“So how is it going to go? Are you going to join us?” he asks. Steve startles at Peter’s sudden question, eyes open wide.

“Uh, I don’t know, I was thinking you two might want to be alone, but there’s still the watch-duty going on,” Steve explains carefully. Peter nods then, crossing his arms while he leans against the wall. The lights are already dimmed a bit. Steve is just busy grabbing his drawing-materials, so it seems.

“You can join us, I don’t mind,” Peter says with a shrug, because it’s true. He doesn’t mind at all. “B-but please, don’t try to pretend like there’s nothing going on, because it’s driving me crazy. I’m not going to cry if you two want to smooch it up a little bit.”

And the blush that shows up on Steve’s face is gold! He looks so flustered that it’s almost impossible to remember he’s the fearless Captain America. His Aunt should see the man right now.

“I, uh-“ Steve starts, but Peter holds up his hand to shut him up.

“Please, I might have been high on drugs back then, but I know what I saw. And if you two are happy together, don’t… don’t hide it from me, alright?” Peter asks. Steve shuts his mouth, stares for a few seconds, but then nods.

“Alright,” he says. A small smile forms on his lips, and Peter, too, starts smiling.

So, it is agreed that Steve joins them on their movie-night. Once they’re at the tower, the decision is quickly made to watch _Man of Steel_ together. Tony brought in big buckets of popcorn, and Steve brought the drinks. Peter takes place on the left side of the couch. Tony is next to him, leaning against Steve as the two share their popcorn together.

At some points in the movie, Peter turns his head to watch his father there. The staring sometimes lasts a few long seconds, as he takes in the laughing-wrinkles his father has whenever he’s smiling, or the nervous tick he has with his foot whenever he’s been sitting still for too long.

Somehow, during the movie, they’ve shifted on the couch until Peter is lying with his head on Tony’s lap, eyes closed as he’s falling asleep. He’s only vaguely aware of Tony’s fingers going through his hair, or Steve gently picking him up from the couch to bring him to the bedroom he actually still hasn’t seen.

He falls into a deep slumber after hearing Tony wishing him a good night.

 

* * *

 

 

“He’s asleep,” Tony says after returning to the living room, where Steve is busy cleaning up their mess. The movie is still playing in the background. As far as they can see, the Kryptonians are creating huge messes in the city. Tony wonders how anybody would even be able to survive that! And what’s the deal with the dubstep?

“Good,” Steve says then. He quickly carries the bowls of popcorn back to the kitchen, followed by Tony who takes along the empty glasses.

“Just leave it there, it’ll be taken care off tomorrow,” Tony assures him, but Steve shakes his head.

“No, we can do this just fine,” Steve tells him. Tony sighs but follows suit. He takes a towel, and waits for Steve to clean the bowl before he can dry it. There’s a strange, domestic feeling about this that Tony hasn’t felt in a little while. In his mind, he’s reminded of the time where Pepper insisted on doing the dishes, but he quickly finds that there’s no more pain in his chest. There’s nostalgia, yes, but looking at Steve is enough to counter the sadness immediately.

Steve notices him staring. Immediately, he frowns.

“Is there something wrong?” he asks. Tony just smiles and shakes his head.

“No, everything’s fine,” he answers. “Everything’s great, even,” he admits. Steve, in turn, curls up the corners of his lips as well before lifting up his hands from the water and throwing some drops towards Tony.

“Hey! Don’t be a jerk, Rogers!” Tony quickly yells at him. Then Steve, without warning, lifts Tony up from the ground and throws him over his shoulder. Tony starts to kick his legs (gently) in an attempt to break free, but he’s unsuccessful.

A small ‘oof’ escapes his mouth when he’s thrown on the couch. Steve then leans over him, lips only millimeters apart from each other. The two men are smirking, only vaguely aware that Peter is sleeping in the room a bit further away. They can’t make too much noise.

“So, am I making a good dad already?” Tony asks in a whisper. Steve lowers his head until his lips are on Tony’s neck. Tony gasps lightly, holding on to Steve’s back with his two hands.

“You’re doing great, Tony,” Steve whispers back, kissing his skin with such a tenderness that makes Tony feel light in his head. “I’m sure Peter already adores you.”

“Ahh,” Tony gets out, turning his head to the side. The sensation is so much. “We can’t make too much noise, Peter-“

“We won’t make any noise,” Steve promises him before reaching up and kissing the breath out of Tony. For about ten seconds, the two make out on the couch, Tony’s hands lowering down to Steve’s hips and already teasing the pants down a bit.

“Better we- uh- better we move to the bedroom?” Tony suggests, and reluctantly, Steve pulls his lips back and drops his forehead on Tony’s shoulder. The two start chuckling nervously. “Or do you want to finish the dishes, first?”

“Forget the dishes,” Steve suddenly mutters, jumping up from the couch and, without warning, picking Tony up again. A small shout escapes the inventor, before he, again, starts swinging his legs.

“You really need to stop doing that,” he complains. Steve ignores him, instead carrying him back into the bedroom and dropping him down on the bed. Then, Steve drops down next to him with a small grunt, eyes never leaving Tony’s.

“I’m all yours,” Steve says, holding up his hands in surrender as he gives all the control to Tony. He, in turn, starts grinning before sitting up again.

This is going to be fun.

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep on saying Monday, but I always end up uploading the chapter on Sunday evening. Ah, well, you'll just get it when you get it, I suppose ;-)  
> I'm extremely hyped right now, because I've just finished chapter 29, and am at 305 pages, which is crazy considering how long it took for me to write my previous stories (2 years or so?). Thank you all for reading and commenting. You always manage to make me smile, and I'm grateful for that!   
> Now, this sneezy bastard is going to give you the next chapter. When I've finished the story completely, I might do 3 uploads a week instead of two. We'll see about it!   
> Warnings for this chapter:  
> \- relationships not going exactly how everybody wants it but they work on it  
> \- Steve having trouble with himself  
> \- Peggy <3  
> \- Absolutely no mention about Harry, I'm sorry about that :'(   
> \- Relationship therapy from Natasha Romanoff  
> \- More building up to Civil War. It'll probably break some hearts when we eventually get to it.

There’s a slight panic going through Peter when he wakes up in a strange place. The room he’s currently in is not his own; where are his posters? His top-bunk bed in which he likes to climb in so much? His messy desk full with electronical devices he took from random dumpsters to mash something together?

Nothing inside this room indicates that it’s his _own_ , so for just a few seconds, Peter worries that he might have been kidnapped. But, that would be stupid; there’s a giant-ass window over there, and he can easily climb out of it, right?

Slowly, Peter gets up from the bed. There’s no creaking of metal, or the springs protesting from the movement. The floors don’t crack, either. There’s a giant closet, a nightstand with an expensive-looking lamp. On the desk, there’s a computer that looks worth even more than what Peter earns in a whole year. On the screen, one thing is written.

_Stark_.

Realization comes to him, and Peter hurries to the window, where he pulls open the blinds. The view he sees there is not disappointing at all.

New York, only from a very high view one can only get from Stark Tower.

He must be in the bedroom Tony put together for him. He had said that Peter needed to redecorate it a bit.

It’s not bad at all; it’s larger than his room at home, which is one thing. There seems to be a door leading to a private bathroom, a television screen hanging up on the wall, and lights that can be dimmed to whichever intensity he wants. Tony really didn’t spare any expense on this!

Now completely awake on this Saturday morning, Peter searches for his phone to check the time, seeing that it’s eight in the morning. He didn’t particularly sleep in, but it’s also not like he went to sleep late. Or did he? He can’t even remember if they finished the movie…

Peter decides to get out and check out the rest of the penthouse. Seeing as this is probably all his to inherit one day, he at least deserves to have a look around. So Peter opens the door, revealing an open hallway with only two more doors. Peter ignores the one right in front of his own, instead going for the one on the far end on the right, since it’s already open. There he sees that there’s some sort of office, probably made for when Pepper lived here and wanted to work at home.

There’s the exact same computer there, along with a wireless phone. The desk is in the middle of the room, which is illuminated by the natural light of the day. The blinds are open, and the curtains pulled to the side. On the desk, there are some folders that read ‘Avenger Initiative’. Peter decides not to be nosy and doesn’t look into them.

Above the door, there’s another TV-screen. Where the remote is, Peter doesn’t know. When he notices the tablet on the corner of the desk, he decides it can’t be too wrong to try it out a little bit. So he takes it along before he leaves the room, starting up the screen and finding it pretty easy to get inside.

“ _Facial scan complete. Welcome Mister Parker,”_ the words on the screen say, and Peter laughs a bit in amazement. Tony is really incredibly fast when it comes to all this!

Locking the tablet again for later, Peter walks into the open room of the penthouse. This has almost everything in it; the kitchen, the living room _and_ the dining room. One wall contains nothing more than windows, giving another wonderful view of New York. One window, Peter knows, is actually a door that leads to the landing platform for the Iron Man suit.

It looks a bit different than when it was built back in 2012. There had been so much talk about the opening of Stark Tower, but then after that whole Alien Invasion, it had to be rebuilt again so soon after it was made.

Dropping the tablet on the couch, Peter starts walking to the kitchen to get some breakfast ready. It’s there that he sees Steve standing in front of the window, holding a cup of coffee in his hand as he stares out into what must be the nothingness. It’s not the city he’s looking at, obviously.

He doesn’t seem to hear Peter at all, so lost in thought. Peter decides it’s best not to startle a super soldier, so keeping his distance, he silently clears his throat. Steve doesn’t hear him.

“Uh, Steve?” Peter then asks. Steve does startle then, turning his head around in such a quick movement Peter would have thought his neck to be broken. “Are you alright?”

“Peter, you’re up!” Steve states the obvious, clutching his cup of coffee tightly before heading back to the counter to drop it there. Then he opens the fridge and starts taking out some eggs and what seems like bacon. “I’ll make some breakfast.”

Peter frowns, but doesn’t comment on it. He follows Steve to the counter, sitting on one of the bar stools while watching the super soldier work on his food. Is it him, or does Steve appear a bit… distracted?

“Steve, are you alright?” Peter asks, slightly worried. He just hopes there’s not already a fight with Tony, because honestly, they’re _barely_ even together! They can wait at least a few months before going at each other’s throats!

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Steve says, quickly giving him a smile over his shoulder. “Can you take some plates? I think they are in the bottom right cabinet.”

Peter stands up, still frowning as he goes to where Steve instructed him. There he takes three plates and puts them down on the counter, resuming his search to find some knives and forks instead. The only sound he hears then is the bacon baking in the pan above all the butter, and the spoon mashing the eggs together.

“Is it Tony? Because, really, you can tell me, Steve,” Peter continues, trying to get more out of the man.

“It’s alright, Peter. Tony didn’t do anything at all. I’m just thinking too much about stuff,” Steve assures him. He turns off the fire and lifts up the pan, sharing its content over the three plates Peter prepared. Then he offers peter a glass of water before getting away from the counter. “I’ll go wake him up, you enjoy your breakfast.”

And then Steve is gone to the hallway, getting through the door that Peter didn’t open earlier. Peter clears his throat, feeling a weird sort of dread going through him at the idea that Steve might already start regretting it. That can’t happen, not when Tony is finally starting to be happier again – not happy; it’ll take a lot more time before he can be called that.

But once Steve returns with Tony right behind him, there seems to be a sudden shift in his mood. He’s smiling when he watches the grumpy billionaire sitting down on the stool next to Peter, already preparing another coffee for him to drink. All Tony says when the cup is handed to him is a grunted ‘thanks’ before he points down as a signal for Steve to just put it on the counter. Peter watches it all happen with lots of confusion going through him.

What is Steve up to?

“So, do you have plans this weekend, Peter?” Steve asks when he, too, has taken place at a stool. The three of them have started on their breakfast, though Tony is still moving slower than the others. Steve looks so genuinely interested, that Peter can’t find it in himself to keep his suspicions going.

“Uh, I haven’t really made plans, yet. I thought maybe catching up a bit with some friends – though I would rather avoid Wade if possible.”

“Wilson, you mean? I don’t get it, everybody finds him annoying but he’s been nothing but kind towards me,” Steve says with a frown. Peter snorts. Tony is still half dead next to him.

“That’s because he respects you. And doesn’t want to marry you. If I get one more marriage proposal through text I think I might throw my phone out of the window,” Peter mutters.

“I’ll get’ya a new one,” Tony mumbles next to him. Peter shakes his head quickly, protesting immediately.

“No, you don’t need to do that. I can earn my own phone,” Peter assures him, causing for Steve to smile.

“That’s a good way to go; trying to stand your own in this world. I can admire that, Peter,” Steve tells him, and Peter feels a little bit of shame at the praise. It’s not because he _wants_ to do it this way, but it’s mostly because he’s never done it any differently. He doesn’t want to change into one of those guys that get everything handed to him on a silver platter.

“Umpf,” Tony complains, leaning his head forward until it’s resting on the counter, right next to his still-full plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. Steve gives him a poke in the arm to get him back up, but Tony slaps his hand away automatically. After that, he decides to just ignore him.

Breakfast goes on without much more said. Peter finishes his plate, thanks Steve for preparing it, and then moves towards the living room to take a good look inside that tablet. It’s best to give the adults a little moment together after all.

Finding an app which allows him to build some inventions together through holograms, Peter constructs himself some sort of spider-drone. He adds a lot in it; facial recognition camera’s, enhanced auditory senses that signals towards the original source of power, flight and crawl-mode, and even some electrical charges which would allow minimal self-defense. He thinks he finishes it rather quickly, but when he looks up again he finds that it’s already half past ten, and Tony is sitting on the couch next to him, also with a tablet in his hands.

“You were completely gone from the world,” Tony tells him without looking up, tapping on his screen in quick movements. Peter takes a quick look around before turning back to Tony.

“Where’s Steve?” he asks, and Tony points to the front door.

“Downstairs, went to train a little bit. He likes to train alone,” he explains. Then he finally looks up, but not at Peter. Instead, his eyes are pointed at the ceiling. “Is he still training, FRIDAY?”

“ _Master Rogers is currently still at the training center. Do you wish me to ask him when he’ll return?”_ FRIDAY asks. Tony smirks but then shakes his head.

“Nah, better to just leave him be,” Tony says. He winks at Peter, grin still wide on his lips.

“You know, it’s not alright to stalk people like that,” Peter tells him jokingly, and Tony just waves it off.

“He doesn’t mind,” he assures him, though Peter is aware that neither of them knows what Steve would think of that. Peter decides not to bring it up again, instead moving until he’s seated next to Tony and looking at the man’s tablet screen as well. It seems like Tony is working on something, as well.

“What’s this?” he asks, curiously. Tony smiles once more before pressing a button. Then the project on the screen gets projected in the air, showing what seems like some sort of gauntlet.

“It’s going to be a subtle gauntlet, easy to carry around. It’s to be worn as a bracelet,” he says, putting his hand through the sudden circle that appears on the hologram. Then he presses some sort of combination, and the bracelet opens up into a gauntlet. But not a complete one. The tips of his fingers aren’t covered at all, and it looks much slimmer.

“This is awesome,” Peter mutters, taking another good look at what his father is creating. “That way you can protect yourself when you don’t have the suit near?”

“Yup, got it in one,” Tony says laughingly. “I’m thinking about making you one as well, but knowing your luck I’m also afraid you might accidentally shoot yourself with it.”

Peter shoves him in the arm because laughing along. Leaning back to the side, he crosses his arms and gives Tony a fake glare.

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Peter mutters.

“Hey, as a father I feel like it’s my job to make bad jokes,” Tony counters. Peter smiles, liking how easily Tony has adapted himself into the job of fatherhood. It hasn’t been that hard for Peter, either.

“Who would have thought Tony Stark to be lame?” Peter mutters jokingly, and Tony puts a hand on his chest, pretending to be shocked and insulted by it. He throws his hand on his forehead, leaning his head back as he acts like he’s fainting. Peter just snorts and turns around until his back is leaning against Tony’s side.

About half an hour later, the door opens again to reveal a freshly showered Steve Rogers entering the room. The two on the couch don’t look up but only wave at him while they keep watching their tablet screens. Steve rolls his eyes when he sees them.

A calm mood stays there for the remaining time they spend together. After that, Steve stands up and clears his throat.

“Uh, you know, not like I’m not having fun, but I think somebody’s going to take over my shift now,” he says. Peter and Tony both look up, eyebrows raised simultaneously. “I was planning on going to Washington and visit Peggy again.”

Peter frowns, wondering who this Peggy is. They mentioned her before once when they were fighting about something, but so far Peter has no idea who she is or what makes her so important. Though he’s sure she is.

“Ah, yes, I suppose it’s about time I get to visit Aunty Peg as well,” Tony says, grunting when he stands up from the couch. Peter sits up before falling down now that his support is gone, and drops the tablet.

“Wait, you have an Aunt?” he asks, curious. He thought that all of Tony’s remaining family was dead – except, of course, for Peter, that is. Tony, who is busy straightening his shirt, only nods. He puts his tablet down on the table.

“Kind of unofficial. She took care of me when my parents didn’t. Or whenever Jarvis couldn’t.” Tony starts up the coffee machine again before leaving the room. Peter gives Steve a questioning look, seeing the super soldier standing there with his mouth open but clearly unable to say a word.

“I- uh…” Steve mutters out, but then he shakes his head and follows after Tony. Whatever they say next, Peter has no clue. He’s just wondering what is going to happen here. Is he getting thrown out as Tony and Steve go hang out? Or is he allowed to go with them? Does he even want to go with them?

Okay, no, who is he kidding? Of course he wants to go with them. To meet Tony’s Aunt? That would be awesome. The woman could become Peter’s great-aunt or something!

“-course I don’t mind your company, but there’s just some things I like to do alone, Tony. Visiting Peggy  is one of them.”

Steve and Tony re-emerge from Tony’s bedroom, now with Tony fully dressed in a mix of casual and formal clothes. Steve still looks the same, wearing his hoodie and faded jeans. His arms are hanging next to his body, eyes sad while looking at Tony, who is frowning in return.

“Fine, then we don’t go in at the same time. I figure if we’re going to make the flight, we might as well do it together?” Tony asks, facing Steve again. The super soldier just sighs, shakes his head and rubs his hand over his brow. One lick of his lips is indication enough of his indecisiveness. “What is it, Steve? You’re ashamed of telling her about it? Then we just don’t say it, simple. Though it’s not like she’s going to remember afterwards if we tell her anyway.”

“It’s not so simple as that, Tony,” Steve counters. Peter wants to clear his throat and indicate that he’s still there, but he decides it’s best not to get in between them. Instead, he sits back down on the couch and picks up the tablet without really paying much attention to what he’s doing on it.

“Then explain it to me, Steve. We can’t come to an understanding if you’re not talking to me.” There’s a pleading in Tony’s voice that surprises Peter. What’s going on between them? “I know you’re sulking all the time. You lie awake at night, thinking about something that is obviously bothering you. I can’t give you a solution if you don’t tell me.”

Okay, Peter feels it’s about time to better hide into his bedroom. But, doing that would mean that he’ll have to get in between Steve and Tony, who are currently still at the beginning of the hallway, blocking the way in their discussion.

“There’s just not a simple ‘solution’, Tony. It’s just something I must figure out on my own. And I know you want to help, and I admire you for that, but you _can’t_ , and that’s okay. Because this is not your fault at all.”

Tony stays quiet then, and Peter dares to look up, seeing the man with his head turned to the side, eyes locked on the ground. There’s something in his expression that shows pain, in a way. After a few seconds of silence and long breathing, he speaks up again.

“If you want to visit her on your own, fine. But if Peter tells me now that he wants to meet her, I’m not keeping my son from the chance of going there,” Tony says with a strangely bitter voice. Peter swallows, hating to be suddenly pulled into this argument. Especially when the two men then turn their heads towards him.

“Uh,” he starts, holding up his hands in surrender. “I- uh- I surely want to meet h-her, but if today’s too much trouble, I- I- I guess another time, uh, is alright, too?” he tries.

The two men give him an unimpressed look, and Peter just raises his hands higher.

“H-hey, don’t pull me into this argument! I’m the neutral party, here,” he protests. Tony then rolls his eyes and takes back off his vest, throwing it onto the counter before taking place on the couch again.

“Fine, whatever. I’ll introduce Peter another time, then,” he mutters, taking the tablet again and diving back into work. Steve keeps on standing there, looking a bit lost for words right now. Peter can relate to that, not really knowing what else to say here.

“Tony-“ Steve then starts, but Tony holds up his hand to silence him.

“No, no, you go do your thing. I’ll be here, or maybe we’ll go back to the compound? It’s about time we finish that suit, isn’t it?”

Oh, he’s talking fast. That means he’s in a really bad mood right now. Peter just shakes his head towards Steve, telling him that he shouldn’t bother anymore today. Then he mouths ‘I’ll take care of him’ towards him before nodding to the door. Steve gives him a sad look, but then turns around to Tony’s bedroom to grab his stuff.

After Steve leaves, it takes another twenty minutes for the front door to open again, only now revealing Natasha walking towards them. She smiles at Peter, and then flicks Tony on the head, earning her an annoyed ‘hey’ from the man. She ignores him, instead sitting down on the couch as well and throwing her legs over Tony’s _and_ Peter’s.

“You, mister Stark, are an idiot,” she says. Peter then does clear his throat before pulling Natasha’s feet up and making his escape from the couch. They don’t comment on it, luckily, and allow him to make his escape to his room.

One more look at the clock indicates that it’s almost one in the afternoon. Aunt May must still be sleeping from her night shift, so Peter doesn’t call her. He just sits down at the desk and starts up the computer, surprised at how fast the thing is going.

Once it’s on, he surfs a bit on the internet, tries out a few of the games Tony must have installed for him, but eventually _does_ get bored from it. Gaming is much more fun when you’re doing it with two. With a sigh, he gets up again, not bothering to turn the computer off. He just gets back into the hallway, hoping that Nat and Tony are finished talking about whatever it was she wanted to scold him for.

Obviously, they’re not.

He can hear them talking lowly, but clearly they’re deep in conversation. Peter doesn’t want to disturb them, but he still finds himself a tiny bit curious as to what exactly is going on, so he leans against the wall without making a sound, turning his head enough so he can hear everything that they’re talking about.

“- from a time where this all isn’t just considered normal. He’s been struggling the entire time about it all, Tony. He just doesn’t want to show it.”

“If he’s so against it, why does he go along with it, then? I am many things, you know, but I’m not planning on being a dirty little secret just because he doesn’t want to be seen with a man.”

“You’re pretty serious about this, aren’t you?” Natasha asks in some mild surprise.

“About what?”

“Your relationship?”

“Pshh, don’t call it that. That’s not- we haven’t really discussed-“

“It’s alright, Tony. You’re hesitant because it’s so soon after Pepper, but she saw this coming. She won’t be angry at you for this.”

Silence from Tony. Wow, this must be a new one.

“Steve isn’t going to keep you a secret forever. He’s just been raised to see it as wrong, so his morals and his feelings continuously contradict themselves. He’s been thrown out of time, he hasn’t gotten _used_ to it like everybody has over the years.”

“He told you all this?”

Natasha laughs.

“Only me. Nobody else knows,” she assures him. Peter hears Tony let out a long breath. “He cares about you, Tony. More than he dares to admit. But you can’t expect him to just… let go of everything he’s been grown up with and say ‘hey, I can be with a man without any problem’.”

Tony stays quiet again, but there’s shifting noises. Then footsteps; Tony is heading to the fridge and is taking out something to drink. Peter hurries towards the other side of the hallway, hoping that the man doesn’t see him.

_“Incoming call for Mrs. Romanoff_ ,” FRIDAY says all of the sudden. Tony sighs, and Natasha picks up her phone. Peter then decides to just emerge from the hallway as if he’s just walking in. His father’s distraction helps with his innocent act.

“And you’re sure it’s him?” Natasha asks the person on the other side of the line. Peter goes to the counter where Tony is standing, and offers him a short smile. Tony just nods at him in return, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder for a few seconds.

Who-ever Natasha is talking to is obviously not bringing good news. Her face looks grim, and even as she hangs up the phone she has a frown on her face.

“They spotted Rumlow. The team is going out again,” she states. Tony’s face falls then, and Peter, too, feels disappointment going through him. That would mean that Steve would be leaving as well… And Wanda, too?

“When are you leaving?” Tony asks. Natasha looks at her phone before sighing.

“Right now, Clint’s bringing the quinjet here to get me, and then we’ll pick up Steve and move out,” she explains. Tony just nods grimly.

“Who’s staying behind?” Tony asks.

“Just Rhodey and Vision again. They’re probably the only ones who can hang out with you for a longer period of time,” Natasha jokes, but Tony doesn’t laugh at all. Sure, he’s showing her a fake smile, but it’s obvious that leaving these things so unresolved makes him uncomfortable. Peter just clears his throat again, uneasy at the tense atmosphere going on here.

They’re there to pick up Natasha in just five minutes, and after that it’s just the two of them again. Pretending not to be bothered about this, Tony nudges Peter while giving him a faint smile.

“Care to go to Washington?” he asks, a little uncertain in his words. Peter blinks a few times before nodding. After that, they’re off to the compound, where they take one of the smaller quinjet and lift off, away from New York.

 

* * *

 

 

Whenever Tony Stark was younger, and his parents were out of town, Jarvis would take care of him. The butler and his wife took him in as if he were their own. Since they couldn’t get children of their own due to Ana Jarvis getting into some sort of accident, it seemed to be easy for them to get attached to him.

But there were days when Aunt Peggy asked him to come over. Mostly it was another attempt of hers to make him get along with her kids, but everybody knew that they never really got along. So while his cousins were off playing whatever they found interesting to play with, Tony asked for stories.

And Peggy told him many stories. At first about her adventures as Captain America because she knew that was what Tony wanted to hear. But when she started to run out of those stories, it became the story of how she ended up with her husband. The man had adventures of his own – not as impressive as the Captain, of course, but still enough to get a kid excited. After a while, Tony even forgot about the Captain, and started to see Peggy’s husband as his hero. The man with the wooden leg. The man who lost so much, but found a way to build up his life again. That was the type of man Tony Stark aspired himself to be.

Minus the losing a limb part, of course.

Right now, Tony sometimes still asks for stories. And she’ll repeat some she’s already told years ago, still thinking Tony to be that small kid she took care of on some occasions. Tony never reminds her of the years that have passed, scared of shocking her.

“Hey Aunti Peg!” Tony calls out once he walks through the door. He waits for Peter to get inside before closing it again, drops his vest on the coat-hanger, and then walks towards the chair Peggy is sitting in. She’s seated at the window, staring outside with an empty look in her eyes.

“Peg?” Tony calls out again, gently shaking her shoulder until she looks up, blinking a few times.

“Anthony? Is that you?” she asks. Tony smiles and then nods at her. Peggy reaches up a hand and passes it over his cheek. “Look how handsome you are.”

Tony snorts, looking over at Peter after that. He holds out his hand and gestures him to come closer, which the kid does.

“I’m here to introduce you to somebody, Aunti Peg,” Tony tells her. Once Peter is next to him, Tony takes his hand and reaches it towards Peggy’s. The woman looks up at him with her glassy eyes, confusion clear on her face.

“I don’t-“ she starts, but then she looks into Peter’s eyes, her lips slowly curling upwards. “What a handsome boy, you are.”

Tony sees Peter smile in return.

“My name is Peter,” he tells her, allowing the woman to put the palm of her hand onto his cheek. Automatically, he leans into the touch. Tony knows how that feels. Silently, he puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I’m his son.”

Peggy makes a happy sound, looking as if she’s about to start crying in glee. With skinny, frail arms, she wraps them around Peter’s shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

“So many things have happened today!” she calls out in excitement. “First Steve came to visit, and now my dear Anthony has a son? I couldn’t be happier.”

Tony feels sadness going through him, just like every time whenever he’s reminded of Peggy’s current condition. There are moments in which she’s completely aware of what is happening and can talk perfectly about what is happening in the current time, but there’s also moments where she’s constantly pulled back into the past.

It’s a small mercy that she’s pretty lucid at this moment. He wouldn’t want Peter to meet her for the first time when she’s… away.

In the beginning of her disease, Peggy’s husband, Daniel, took care of her. Despite being old himself, he made sure she washed herself, she ate her dinner, and she would pick up the phone. But after his death, somebody else had to start taking care of her. When Tony then heard that neither of her children were able to take her in, he decided to make sure she would be as comfortable as possible.

That’s why she has the best room in the building. It has the perfect view. It’s not too hot in the summer, but also not too cold during the winter. The heating works perfectly here, and the staff is considered amongst the best in Washington.

Tony only wants the best for her, even though there isn’t much she can do anymore.

They take place on a chair, listening to the stories Peggy wants to tell Peter. There’s stuff about Steve, stuff about Daniel. And then there’s also (embarrassing) stuff about Tony when he was a kid. But Tony gives them that; he doesn’t want to ruin the good mood.

They stay there for about two hours, until Tony decides he better gets Peter home before May is going to report him as kidnapped by his own father. They hug Peggy in a goodbye, Tony gives her a kiss on the cheek, and then they’re on their way back to New York.

That evening, when Peter’s already safely at home and Tony is working on his latest armor, his phone rings in indication that he has a message. Tony doesn’t look at it immediately, only opening it once he goes to bed.

There, despite the bad vibe they had between them when Steve left, he manages to smile again before going to sleep. He doesn’t answer normally, though, because he doesn’t want to come over like he’s worried. Instead, he simply sends back a wink-emoticon.

After that, he turns off the screen and closes his eyes, figuring that the best way for time to fly is by sleeping it off. Meanwhile, in the back of his head, he thinks back over the message Natasha left for him.

  * _He won’t tell you because he’s a stubborn ass much like you are, but he misses you._



_Stubborn asses, we are_ , he thinks to himself, grinning.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the happiest with this chapter. Even weeks after I've written it, I feel like there's too much happening at once. There's stuff happening in this chapter that you might think came out of nowhere. I apologize for that; like I said before, the parts with Yaël are mostly reserved for her own story, and aren't too much described in here. There's a pretty big scene with her here, though. It doesn't impact too much of Peter's story, but it does hers, which is why, in the upcoming chapters, there won't be much more mention of it.  
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Peter being a teenager  
> \- drunk Peter  
> \- Umbrella's (you know what I mean)  
> \- Mention of a drunken one-night-stand  
> \- Depressed Peter (as a result of his own stupid actions)

When it comes to friendships, Peter already knows that he’s not the best in maintaining them. Unless he sees the person on a daily basis, like on school, there’s a lot of chance that he might, sometimes, forget to contact said friend.

It’s an easy mistake, he thinks; he’s often fighting crime on the streets (which he still hasn’t been doing three weeks after getting wounded), building a super-suit with his father (which he’s also sure would have been finished already had Tony not waited for Peter every time), and going to actual _school_ once in a while. His phone is not really the center of his attention.

But, for the few times that he thinks about texting his friends, he usually gets a pretty quick reply. He realizes he’s probably screwed something up when, after five texts of him trying to get everybody together for another Pizza-evening, Yaël still doesn’t answer.

Sure, there aren’t too many friends to contact in the first place; Wanda is still out on the mission (they’ve been gone for almost two weeks! It’s been driving Tony insane!), Wade is just too annoying to ask, Ned doesn’t even know about Peter’s friends, and- well, that’s about it.

Yaël was actually the one he wanted to hang out with. It’s been a little while since he last saw her (that must be when she came to his house with ice cream and the old Superman-movies back when he was still stuck at home with his wound).  The fact that she’s not answering makes it clear to Peter that, while she’s been there to look after him, he hasn’t really done the same for her.

He doesn’t even know how she’s been since then. She might have had the crappiest days of her life, and he wouldn’t know!

Peter startles from his thoughts when something is suddenly thrown against the back of his head. Realizing that he’s still in class makes him sit up almost immediately. He hopes the teacher hasn’t seen him drift off like that!

The thing that got thrown against his head had been a piece of paper. With a frown, Peter opens the little ball it forms, and sees that something is written inside. He recognizes Flash’ handwriting immediately.

  * _Think you can arrange a hot date for me and Black Widow? She’s hot_ ;)



Peter rolls his eyes, crumbles the paper again and then throws it into the bin with precision. Nobody but Flash saw that happening, and the guy isn’t going to say anything about it at all, not wanting people to think that Peter can actually _do_ something.

Peter’s not too surprised when another paper is thrown on him. It’s another message.

  * _Or maybe that Scarlet Witch-girl! I saw her picture in the paper earlier, she’s hot._



It irks Peter that the guy is talking about his friend like that, but he figures it’s best not to let it get to him. As if Flash could even have a chance with Wanda. There’s still that thing going on between her and Vision that nobody dares to mention but everybody knows is there.

Then, another paper. This time, Peter doesn’t open it immediately. He pretends to pay attention to class, writes down some notes of a lesson he already understands plenty, and gets up when the bell indicates the hour being over. Flash’ paper is now tucked into the pocket of his hoodie. He hands in the extra homework he did to get extra credits, gets a content nod from the teacher, and then hurries back into the hallway, grabbing his cellphone once more but seeing that he still has no new messages.

Peter sighs, gets to his locker and takes out his books for the next course. Ned is at home, sick for the day, so Peter’s once again walking alone. His earbuds are already in, and there’s some music playing softly while he wanders through the hallway.

Sadly, the little soundtrack that he put up for himself is already pulled away when he’s suddenly pushed against the lockers by an annoyed Flash Thompson, who doesn’t look like he’s taking well at being ignored like that.

“I don’t take too well at being ignored like that, Parker,” Flash repeats Peter’s thoughts, and it would almost have been comical. Peter sighs, but doesn’t fight against the grip. He should have known that the guy would start again the moment his bruises are gone. But Flash seems to forget that any normal person would still be hurting on their wound, so Peter pretends to hiss.

It doesn’t hurt anymore – at least, not immediately. It’s still difficult to swing around for a longer period of time, meaning that his Spider-Man outings still haven’t been as much. But there isn’t more than that. It’s still a pink line where his suture has been, and on his back there’s a scar from that metal pin that ruptured his spleen. He figures those scars will always be there from now on.

When Flash sees Peter hiss a bit, he lowers his grip a little bit, but still doesn’t let go of him. Who knew there was a human side to him?

“What do you want, Flash?” Peter asks, and the guy then lets go completely, the anger on his face suddenly gone.

“I was there, that day the Goblin took you. I saw everything happen,” Flash says. Peter straightens his hoodie and untangles his earbuds, but still waits for further explanation. “I heard Iron Man call out after you – call out your name.”

“Oh,” Peter breathes out, wondering how that’s so special?

“I didn’t believe you when you said you know Stark, but I figure I was wrong.”

“So what, your way of apologizing is by asking me if I can arrange you a date with my friend?” Peter mutters out.

“Whoa, you’re friends with Black Widow?” Flash gets out, and Peter rolls his eyes.

“More like Scarlet Witch,” he corrects him. “But yeah, she’s my friend.”

“Well, if I say that there’s a party at my place tonight, you think you can bring her along? Or maybe that Spider-Man guy? He’s cool, too,” Flash asks, and Peter wants to laugh it out loud. Having finally untangled the earbuds, he slowly starts walking again. Flash follows him wordlessly.

“I can ask if she wants to come, but it would be hard since she’s currently out of the country. Something about a dude called ‘Crossbones’?” Peter explains.

“Whoa, sounds cool. Well, if they can come, you’re invited as well, Parker,” Flash says, slapping him once on the shoulder before running off again. Peter just frowns, figuring that, even when trying to apologize, Flash is still kind of a jerk. Well, not everybody can be a hero, he figures. He checks his phone again, and then moves to his last class of the day.

At the end of that hour, Peter automatically goes to the back of the parking where Happy’s car is currently waiting for him. He doesn’t pay attention to Flash or any of the others that are watching him, and just gets inside. When he gets to the compound, there’s still no answer.

There’s some mild distraction when working with Tony. Aside the constant questioning on who is going to get this suit and when they’re going to put everything together into one thing, the two get quite a lot of things ready until Tony even announces that it’s about it. He’s got nothing else planned to be added to it.

Peter knows Tony is slowly getting crazy by the lack of news coming from the Avengers on when they will return. Two weeks is a while, especially if there’s minimal contact between them and Tony, who is now only acting as their information point. He looks things up for them, connects the dots whenever they can’t, and sends them coordinates to where they’re supposed to go.

It must be awful knowing he’s not allowed to join them.

“How’s the wound?” Tony suddenly asks after packing away all of the suit-components, only to work on it later on. It bugs Peter a little bit that he’s going to finish it without him, but Tony keeps on insisting that he wants to keep the end result as a surprise.

“The wound’s pretty fine,” he answers, gently rubbing the scar and pretending to wince. “It’s not long until I can go back to gym.”

“Good,” Tony says. He picks up a tablet and starts typing in some stuff. “Say, you and your aunt ever went on a holiday?”

Peter shakes his head, not recalling any kind of vacation they used to take. Sometimes, they managed to get themselves to a beach of some sort, but that was never longer than a day, and the drive to there usually took longer than the time they’d spend there.

“She’s got two weeks off at the beginning of summer break, she told me. Maybe I can arrange for you two to go to France for a few days? Get tanned in the sun, take some time to breathe?”

It’s May now, and there’s only a few more weeks to go until the school year ends. The teachers are all droning on about the finals, and how they should prepare themselves in these last few lessons they’ll have. Peter tries not to think about it too much. Only barely has he managed to get his grades back up with all the extra credit work and the internship. He doesn’t want to think about the fact that everything might still have been for nothing because of him failing his tests.

“Yeah, uh, sounds cool. You not joining us?” Peter asks, getting a shake of his head from Tony.

“Don’t want to claim you for everything, kid,” Tony mutters without looking up. Peter nods without really understanding. Then he clears his throat and checks his cellphone again. There’s a message, but it’s from Wade, asking him if he left the stove on. Peter rolls his eyes once more and puts the phone aside.

“I, uh, I don’t have a passport or anything,” Peter adds, uncertainly. Tony just snorts then, finally facing him with the dark brown eyes Peter has come to known as his own.

“Don’t worry, that’ll be taken care of,” Tony assures him. Peter nods enthusiastically, and then the two dive right back into work, this time not making the suit for the mystery hero but putting together a new Iron Man suit. Ned would freak out!

At eight, like always, Happy is ready to take Peter home. With the promise that Peter would stay over for the weekend again, the two part ways; Tony getting back inside the building, and Peter driving off with Happy. One look at his phone indicates that there’s still no answer.

Arriving at an empty house, Peter finds a note on the table from Aunt May, telling him she’s got another series of night shifts for the next five days. Peter sighs, dropping the piece of paper back on the table and trying to think back of the last time he actually spent time with her. He thought that the internship would at least help out a bit on the working-part, but seeing as Peter has not been accepted by any college yet, Stark Industries can’t release the sum for now. Their bills stay the same, as much as their income – though Peter earns a tad bit more at Stark Industries in comparison to the Pizza place.

He remembers Flash inviting him to the party if he would get Spider-Man to join. Wanda would be difficult – she’s not back yet – but Spider-Man is easier; Peter just has to go, put on the suit for an hour, and then he could stay.

Surely, there aren’t a lot of people he knows, but it would surely beat staying at home for the evening, right?

So Peter puts on the suit, swings the few buildings that separate his home from Flash’, and takes a few deep breaths once he arrives in front of the house. Hidden in a tree, Peter observes what is happening there; loud music is playing inside, and through the window, Peter can see Flash as the DJ. There are multiple cars parked in the street. A couple of teenagers are dancing in the garden, drinking the stuff they’re obviously not legal for yet. Peter makes a mental note to stay away from the alcohol tonight.

He can recognize more people from his class; there are Liz and her friends, a couple of other kids from the Decathlon-team – who would have thought that Flash would be a bit of a nerd himself? – and even Michelle is there, though she’s looking bored as hell. Those are about the only faces he can catch through the windows, but Peter is sure that, as soon as he gets inside, he’ll meet more of them.

Hiding his backpack in the tree, Peter drops down on the ground and casually walks over to the front door. There are a few people looking at him in confusion, and another guy clearly freaking out because of his presence. Peter ignores them, instead knocking on the door and waiting for an answer.

When none comes, he realizes that the music is probably too loud for anybody to hear them. Peter then shrugs and opens the door himself. With no invitation granted towards him, Peter just walks inside, seeing more people from his school dance on every available space they can find. He shouldn’t be too shocked that most of them are already drunk and mostly just rubbing against each other instead of dancing.

Flash is lucky that his house is quite separated from the others, otherwise the police would have been here a lot earlier.

“SPIDER-MAN!” Flash suddenly shouts, sounding just as drunk as everybody else. Peter looks up, seeing everybody look at him. “Do a flip!”

Peter frowns, having expected a whole other greeting. Still, he decides not to overthink it and prepares himself to do as he asks. A flip isn’t really that much work. So he makes the jump, lands back on his two feet, and everybody shouts and claps!

Flash runs away from his post at the DJ-panel and runs up to Peter (or Spider-Man, more) and engulfs him in a strong hug. The stench of alcohol is strong on him.

“I can’t believe Parker did it! Where is he even?” Flash asks, pulling away. Peter shrugs.

“He was on his way. I’m faster, after all,” he explains, lowering his voice a little bit even though there isn’t much risk of Flash recognizing his voice in his drunken state.

“Oh, well, after getting you here, he’s surely welcome!” Flash says, still wrapping one arm around Peter’s shoulder, holding up his bottle of beer in the air and facing everybody else. “LONG LIVE PENIS PARKER!”

“LONG LIVE PENIS PARKER!” everybody shouts in return. The following hour goes in a haze; people try to take pictures with him, some girls dance and even lean forward to kiss the mask whenever Peter least expects it, and eventually, he has to admit that it’s time for him to go.

Or for Spider-Man. Peter is having quite a bit of fun at the moment, and he’s already forgetting his own promise of staying away from the alcohol; what would it matter if he would let go a little bit, tonight?

So after lots of trouble, he manages to escape from all the drunken fans, and hurries back to his tree where he grabs his backpack. Somewhere secluded, he changes back into his normal clothing. Then, with the promise of actual fun coming his way, Peter hurries back inside.

This time, his entrance doesn’t give the same reaction. He’s pretty much ignored by the dancing people. So Peter hurries to the improvised bar, nods once towards Flash who is by now too drunk to even notice him, and gets himself something to drink.

It’s safe to say that Peter has never drunk alcohol before. Even later, he wouldn’t really be able to explain what made him drink right now, but as it is, he finishes his glass in one go, immediately going for the next one. It could be the sudden realization that the school year is almost over, or maybe the fact that Flash is actually being kind of non-violent towards him.

It could be unintentional peer pressure… Who knows? Peter sure as hell doesn’t when he finishes his fifth glass, feeling more than just buzzed and about ready to just go dance in front of everybody. He notices Michelle nearby, eyeing him with a frown. Peter just waves at her mockingly before shaking his head along with the beat.

At one point during the party, Peter took out his phone and texted Yaël once more, this time about where he currently is. It’s possible that he’s misspelled a few words, but he’s sure the girl can figure out what he means on her own.

Peter finds himself dancing with some girls he never even met. Much to his surprise, even a few guys start rubbing up on him when there doesn’t seem to be much pace for anybody to move. And Peter doesn’t care at all, because he’s having fun. And for once, people don’t see him as the loser, or the nerd that can’t keep his family together.

They see him as a human being, who is capable of having fun just like everybody else.

He’s way beyond understanding at what must be his twelfth drink. The cup in his hand is just about a permanent accessory he’s carrying along, and the clothes he’s wearing more often than not goes flying into the crowd whenever another girl starts dancing with him. Now, only wearing his underwear and his shoes, Peter is once again dancing along on the beat.

Michelle doesn’t look impressed at all. Peter doesn’t care; it’s not like he likes the messy-haired redhead. She’s mean, and constantly suspicious, and, and… he doesn’t know what else. Sure, she’s kind of pretty underneath that ‘i-don’t-care-bravado’ she has going on, but it’s mostly that attitude that puts Peter off.

Peter doesn’t really know when it happens that a random girl takes him away. At one moment, they’re dancing together, and the other she drags him along to the stairs, pulling him inside a bedroom that clearly isn’t Flash’. A small part inside of Peter wonders if he should even be allowed in there, but the other part doesn’t care.

“Hey hot-shot,” the girl – what was her name? Reesa? Reanna? Peter doesn’t know – tells him, keeping her face awfully close to Peter’s, teasing to kiss but never really doing it. Her hand comes to rest on the pink scar on Peter’s abdomen, but she doesn’t ask any questions. “I found this awesome stuff in here, but it’s a bit too big for me.”

Peter snorts without knowing why. The girl pulls up some black clothing that seems to shine in the light. Peter is beyond understanding what it is, but he can’t help himself from laughing.

He’s still laughing ten minutes later, when the girl successfully dressed him in said shiny clothes, and even managed to put on some sort of make-up on him despite their permanent laughter. Peter has no idea what she’s doing, but he finds it hilarious on its own.

He’s aware there’s music playing, aware that he’s dancing and that everybody’s watching and screaming in excitement. There’s a flash of purple somewhere in the crowd – is that Yaël? She came!

He’s aware that he’s getting himself out of breath in a way, but the next thing he can really think clearly of it the headache he’s feeling afterwards.

Peter has his eyes closed – when did he close them? He’s lying on some sort of mattress with a too-heavy duvet lying on top of him. His head is giving him a lot of grief, and even pressing the palm of his hands against his brow doesn’t help him.

When he opens his eyes, he realizes he’s not in his bedroom. The daylight infiltrates into the room in bright stripes, enough to illuminate the space for Peter to get a good look at it. He’s seen this room before, but only shortly. Somehow, he’s finding himself in Yaël’s house.

A soft noise next to him startles him, and when Peter turns around, he finds the girl’s messy purple hair underneath the sheets. She’s got her back towards him, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand what this looks like.

She’s not wearing any clothes.

One quick look downstairs, and Peter realizes that he, too, isn’t wearing anything. Despite his headache, he gets out a loud gasp that comes close to a shriek. It’s loud enough to wake Yaël, who startles up and gets into a defensive position, ready to start throwing punches. She doesn’t look any better than him.

What the hell happened?

“Peter?!” she asks when she sees him. Her eyes open wide upon noticing his state of undress. She doesn’t cover herself up at all, seeming uncaring about her nudity. Peter, ever the gentleman, still shifts his gaze away to the side.

“Uh, you have any idea what I’m doing here?” Peter asks. Yaël frowns and passes her hand through her hair.

“I remember getting your text. I was heading your way to rip you a new one, but I don’t remember the details; I was kinda drunk,” she mutters, shaking her head. “Uh, last thing I remember was you dancing with an umbrella in your hand.”

“Oh God,” Peter groans, feeling like he’s about to puke. He’s not feeling wonderful at all. He remembers slightly how ecstatic he’d been feeling the entire evening, but right now it must be about the exact opposite. His shoulders feel heavy, his heart feels like it’s been ripped out right again.

“Oh crap, did we- you know?” Yaël asks. Peter doesn’t answer. He presses his hands against his eyes, and lies back down on the pillow, afraid to face the day. He doesn’t even know how late it is; he probably should have been at the tower hours ago!

Peter looks up when Yaël clears her throat. He sees her in the middle of the room, standing up with one hand on her hip and the other holding something in the air, still as naked as the day she was born.

“You know, at least we used protection,” she says dryly, swinging the thing in her hand around a bit before throwing it into the bin. Peter, once again, groans and throws his head back.

It’s not like it was his first time; that experience he got to share with Gwen, at least. But that thought doesn’t make him feel better at all. In fact, he’s feeling worse than ever, like he’s ready to never leave this bed at all.

“I even had a speech ready for when I scolded you, but I can’t remember if I did that already…” Yaël goes on. Peter doesn’t react at all anymore. Why is he suddenly feeling like crying? Or more, why is he suddenly feeling like he’s the biggest failure of them all? Even just one look at the girl in front of him gets him close to tears.

“Uh, Peter, are you alright?” Yaël asks then, suddenly worried. Peter shakes his head, sniffing his nose while trying to keep his tears to his own. He’s failing immensely at that.

There’s a hand touching his arm in comfort, and that’s when Peter breaks. Tears stream down his face, sobs escape his mouth. Peter keeps on shaking, even as Yaël is trying her best to comfort him.

But what’s he crying for? Is it the reminder that the thing that happened last night has only ever been done with Gwen before? The reminder that he’s a crappy friend, who can’t even put aside his own problems to make it up to the girl currently comforting him? Is it the fact that Harry is still stuck in the compound, not even closer on getting better from whatever has happened to him?

What he needs right now is Gwen. She would always manage to cheer him up, to distract him. But that’s no longer possible.

“Alright, this isn’t working. I’m calling your aunt,” Yaël says. Before she can walk away, Peter grabs her arm.

“No, she had a night shift and she’s probably sleeping,” he mutters out through his sobs.

“Alright, but I am calling _somebody_ ,” she says. Peter can’t blame her, she mentioned once before that comforting people isn’t something she’s good at, at all. She explained how she’s always afraid to make it worse by saying something wrong, or whatever. Peter doesn’t hold it against her; just once more he’s proving how a horrible friend he is. Can’t even act normal to have a serious talk with the girl.

After helping him get dressed, Peter is seated down on the couch, a blanket wrapped around him and an untouched hot coco on the table. He doesn’t have the intention of drinking it, feeling like it’ll probably come back out just as fast as it came in. It’s a wonder he didn’t puke that morning, but that’s probably because he hadn’t eaten anything yesterday.

By the time ‘somebody’ arrives, Peter has been on the couch for about half an hour. He’s not too surprised it’s Tony storming through the doors, insisting on seeing Peter.

Peter, who is holding his phone in his hands, and watching a video of himself in women’s clothes, dancing to Rihanna’s Umbrella with an actual umbrella in his hands. The video shared by Flash, with the only text written with it ‘Penis Parker shows his true self’.

“Peter!” Tony calls out, and before Peter knows it he’s got his father’s arms wrapped around him. “It’s alright, son, I’m here.”

And Peter cries, grabbing on to his father with such a force he’s surprised Tony’s still breathing. Holding on to the hug, Peter looks up at Yaël and mouths a small ‘thank you’ to her. All she does is shrug and move away from them, probably to hide herself in her bedroom.

They don’t see her when they leave. Peter should just remind himself to call her later. Just like always… That’s just exactly what went wrong in the first place, wasn’t it? The postponing? And then when she actually speaks out her mind, Peter can’t remember a thing and they’ve ended up in bed together somehow. At least it’s best that _that_ is removed from his memory; not that it’s such a horrible thought, but she’s his friend, and they’ve never even thought about being more than that.

Even now, Peter doesn’t desire much else other than friendship when he thinks of her. And yet now, he’s not sure _friendship_ is still a possibility.

 

* * *

 

 

The video starts trending, even outside of school. People who find it funny that a guy dressed in girl’s clothing is dancing, completely wet and drunk with a freaking umbrella in his hands, share the video the moment they’ve seen it, wanting the rest of the world to see it as well.

He knows that Tony had to keep himself from laughing when he, too, got a look at it. In full embarrassment, Peter had admitted that he got drunk the evening before – which already earned him a scowl from Tony and an added warning from FRIDAY, who says that the reason he’s been feeling so horrible is probably because of the combination of his pills and the alcohol – and explained how one of the girls manipulated him into dancing in drag like that.

Tony doesn’t seem to think it’s too bad, claiming that “as long as your clothes were still on, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Though that isn’t helping him at all. Peter just rather spends the entire day on the couch, hating himself for ever going to that party. Tony leaves him be, but he likes to make him know that it’s his ow fault for feeling like this.

“Pills and alcohol, it don’t match, kiddo,” he keeps on saying every time Peter even dares to sigh. After about two hours of just scowling on the couch, Tony decides it’s enough and puts up a movie.

After making a call with Peter’s psychiatrist, Tony tells the kid that the way he’s feeling will take about a day or two, as long as he keeps on taking his medication. Peter doesn’t respond, instead just rests his head on his father’s lap and watches the TV playing something that’s supposed to be funny but can’t get a laugh out of him.

His phone has been going crazy the entire day, mostly people tagging him in posts and Ned and Wade asking questions he’s been ignoring. Ever since he’s woken up, he isn’t feeling like facing other people. Especially with the way he’s started his day – that’s something the two of them are going to have to talk about, but then again, there’s a lot to discuss, anyway.

“You heard from Steve?” Peter asks when the credits start playing. Tony, who has been reading stuff on his tablet in silence, just hums and curls some more of Peter’s hair around his fingers. The head massage feels kind of good, and Peter closes his eyes appreciatingly.

“They’re on their way back. Mission was another bust,” Tony says calmly. “He’s not coming here, though.”

They’re in the tower right now, at first it had just been the two of them, but after half an hour of being here Vision eventually came up. Peter almost wants to ask when the babysitting shifts will be over, but eventually he figures that it’s not really his decision. Besides, Vision is not too bad for company; he’s always reading, or trying to cook. Sometimes he adds some complicated stuff to whatever Tony is talking about, but other than that he doesn’t interfere.

Had Peter been in a better mood, he would have asked Vision if they kind of aren’t brothers. But as it is, Peter keeps his mouth shut and his eyes closed.

“Why not?” Peter asks in response to Tony’s remark. The inventor shrugs without taking his eyes away from the tablet.

“He had some other matters to attend to, regarding that friend of yours. They get along pretty well, I suppose,” Tony mutters. Peter feels his cheeks heat up again at the vague mention of Yaël, but Tony can’t see it, luckily. So, yeah, that’s going to be awkward for a little while…

“Yeah, apparently so,” Peter mumbles out. Another sigh escapes his mouth, and Peter tries to reposition himself into a comfortable position so he can catch up on some sleep.

“That’s what alco-“

“I know, stop repeating that,” Peter interrupts him. Tony just laughs towards Vision.

“I’m annoying him,” he tells the android, who looks up and tilts his head a bit to the side. Peter just rolls his eyes.

“I suppose his reaction of annoyance can be another end-result of the combination from the medication and the alcohol,” Vision explains, stating the obvious again. Peter groans in frustration. They’re just doing that to annoy him. Tony laughs again, though Vision just seems confused because of Peter’s reaction.

“Say, will you ever tell me why you don’t like Yaël all that much?” Peter tries, thinking back of all the times his father mentioned his purple-haired friend. Tony snorts, but keeps reading on whatever literature he’s found on his tablet.

“I don’t really think so, no,” Tony responds.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s classified Avengers-business,” Tony concludes. “Just because your father was an Avenger doesn’t mean that you get to know all their secrets.”

“Your,” Peter corrects him. Tony frowns and gives him a questioning look. “You said ‘their,’ but what you mean is ‘your’ secrets, right?”

Tony shakes his head, and puts the tablet down at last. With serious eyes, he faces his son, lips put in a tight line.

“I’ve decided to step back from the Avengers,” Tony explains. “It’s not like I can fight alongside them now, and the action is not really good for me.” Tony keeps on toying with Peter’s hair, but now with both his hands.

“How long?” Peter asks.

“Undetermined,” Tony admits with a sigh. “The team knows, I’ve told them a little while back. Rescuing you from the Goblin has been my last act as Iron Man. Sounds fitting, too.”

“But you love being an Avenger?” Peter asks, sitting up at last to give Tony a long look. The man simply sighs and shakes his head.

“I know I do,” he says. “But… I have responsibilities now, Pete…”

Peter doesn’t answer, knowing that Tony is talking about him. He decides not to go further into it, not wanting to have the guilt he’s feeling becoming even bigger. Instead, Peter lies back down and allows Tony once more to play with his hair. The two of them seem to like the gesture; he doesn’t know what Tony gains from it, but it calms Peter down to have his head massaged like that. Even when he’s feeling like crap, at least like this he’s reminded that he’s not alone.

Peter only realizes he’s fallen asleep when he wakes up much later; the window indicates that it’s already night, showing a darkness in the sky from outside and the millions of city lights from all the buildings. New York never really sleeps, after all.

The next indication that proves that he’s been out of it for probably a few hours is the sudden addition of another voice Peter quickly recognizes as Steve’s. If his body wouldn’t have felt like Thor’s hammer had been put on top of it, he would have jumped up from the surprise.When did Steve return?

He can hear him talking to Tony in hushed voices all the way from the kitchen. The volume of their voice proves that they’re trying not to wake Peter. For a small moment he wonders why they don’t just have this conversation in Tony’s bedroom, but he quickly figures they wouldn’t want to leave him alone.

“We wasted so much time,” Steve mutters towards Tony. Peter figures that the mission they went on probably was another bust. They’ve been gone far longer than they normally are, too. More than two weeks, almost!

“You kept him from killing the innocent. I don’t see that as wasted, Steve,” Tony assures the man. The reflection of the window shows Steve and Tony from afar. Peter can see they’re seated at the counter, facing each other. Steve has his head lowered down, while Tony leans forward to put his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“But we let him go again. And we couldn’t stop him from killing all those HYDRA-agents,” Steve counters. “Sure, they weren’t innocent, but that doesn’t mean they deserved to be blown up like that.”

“So he’s being a bit extreme. We’ve faced extreme before, and we’ve always taken care of it. There’s no reason you can’t, now.”

Steve sighs again. Tony cups Steve’s cheek and makes him look up.

“I’ve got FRIDAY looking all around the world for him. Eventually he’ll show up again, and when that happens, you’ll be there to stop him.”

Steve nods, and when he leans forward to meet Tony’s lips, Peter quickly closes his eyes again. He can handle much, but watching the two in such a tiny intimate moment feels like a major breach of privacy. The fact that Tony is this calm despite the two of them never having talked about what happened before Steve left is surprising enough. It’s somehow immensely mature of Tony, all of which he’s always been told Tony is not.

“Though in the meantime, I’ll look around for those weapons he’s been selling,” Tony says again after a while. Peter doesn’t look up, but keeps listening instead. “Make sure they’re not ending up in the wrong hands.”

“I appreciate that, Tony,” Steve says, sounding grateful indeed. Then there’s a light scrape of the chairs as the two men probably stand up. “How’s Peter been doing, by the way?”

Tony stays quiet for a little bit. Peter figures he’s thinking about his answer before actually speaking. That’s a lot, coming from Tony, since the guy usually just speaks out everything he’s thinking.

“He’s hit a rough spot,” Tony explains. “Learned the hard way that alcohol and antidepressants don’t go together. Before that, he was doing good.”

“Oh no, is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine eventually. It’s just… a little setback in his revalidation, so to say,” Tony clarifies. Peter hears the two men coming closer. Due to his enhanced hearing, he knows that Tony is reaching out to him, so he keeps himself from startling when Tony gently goes through his hair. “He’s a strong kid. I’m sure he’ll pull himself out of this one.”

“He’s got that from his dad,” Steve adds to that, but only a bitter chuckle comes out of Tony after that.

“He’s stronger than I am,” Tony counters. There’s another shifting noise, and then Peter feels himself being lifted up from the couch, once again taken into Steve’s strong arms. Tony’s hand in his hair disappears as he’s being maneuvered away from the couch.

“You’re strong too,” Steve assures him in a whisper, smile obvious in his voice. “And I care for both of you, so we’ll make sure you’ll both get out of this.”

Peter feels his insides warm up at the confession; Steve cares about him! But in what way? As just a random friend way? Or… maybe more? Would it be too much hope for Peter to have the Captain see him as a son of his own? That he would not only gain one father, but two of them? That would be too lucky, now, would it?

And too soon, as well. He still barely knows anything about the man, despite the many random conversations they’ve had. They have a mutual friend, that one being Yaël (apparently, Peter learned later on, they knew each other from before the girl lost her memory. Yaël has been extremely vague about it and he hasn’t really dared to ask Steve about it yet), and now Steve is (kind of) dating Peter’s father? That would kind of make him Peter’s step-father, right?

He’s gently put back into bed, and there’s another hand going through his hair. Though this time it’s different; while Tony really goes with his fingers over Peter’s scalp in some sort of massage, this gesture is more like being petted. He doesn’t dislike it at all, but he recognizes the difference immediately.

This is Steve touching him. And it’s also Steve who leans forward to kiss him on the forehead.

“Goodnight, son,” Steve whispers addressing him the same way Steve addresses Spider-Man. Peter keeps himself from smiling as Steve pulls away, only for Tony to take his place. Another kiss is planted on his forehead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, champ,” he whispers as well, out of fear to wake Peter up. “Tomorrow things will be better.”

Then Tony, too, pulls away. After a few footsteps, the door closes and Tony and Steve are out of the room. Peter then turns onto his back, looking at the ceiling and feeling some of the heaviness leave him. Because right now he’s feeling loved. And he’s reminded that it’s not just these two men that love him, but others, too. He’s just forgotten how it feels, only to be reminded of it again right now.

And Peter sleeps soundly the rest of the night.

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Two chapters again. I'm in a good mood. Probably because I've just started writing chapter 33 and it's feels again all the way. I shoul start rounding it up.  
> Warnings for this chapter:  
> \- First dates (finally?)

Tony isn’t sure what he’s feeling when he sees Steve put Peter into bed once again. Inside, his heart is melting in millions of ways because of the many emotions he’s having about this. His brain isn’t giving much input on how to react to it, neither.

Seeing Steve being so careful around his son is just doing things to Tony that he doesn’t really know how to express. It makes him want to forget the whole thing Natasha warned him about before Steve left, and just pretend that nothing is wrong.

But despite the easiness he’s feeling right now, he knows the problem still lingers; Steve will still be in constant battle within his own mind, Tony will keep on taking it personally, and they will fight about it eventually.

Really, Tony isn’t one to keep it under wraps; he would rather be open about it, let everybody know that he’s… something more with Steve. But he doesn’t, because Steve doesn’t want that. Heck, the indication that they don’t really know how to call this thing between them should have been enough that there’s something not really right.

But then again, the lack of wanting to call it a ‘relationship’ comes more from Tony rather than Steve.

Closing the door behind them, Tony realizes once again that he’s now officially ‘alone’ with Steve. Peter is asleep in his bedroom (and how weird is it to be able to say that?), and Steve is just standing there in front of him, looking at him like’s he’s inspecting Tony.

He wants to lighten the mood, to make a joke or something like that. But the words come short. So instead, Tony just heads to his own bedroom door, opening it without a word and expecting Steve to follow him. When he doesn’t, Tony nods once as an indication that he can follow. Carefully, Steve complies.

Though this thing between them hasn’t been going on for more than a month, the way they’re acting now is almost as if they’ve just gone back to the very beginning. They’re awkward, almost even cautious around each other. In other words, they’re just acting like stupid teenagers that can’t get their heads out of their asses.

“I’ve been thinking a lot, Steve,” Tony starts after a long moment of silence. He sees Steve tense up, and another chuckle comes out. “Stop assuming I’m going to dump you all the time!”

“I’m sorry, I’ve just been preparing myself for it these past two weeks, I suppose,” Steve mutters out, thought the tension stays in his stance.

“Then you’re as much an idiot as I am,” Tony quickly counters. The two men chuckle nervously, but neither relax. Tony sits down on the bed, motioning for Steve to do the same. The other man complies, and takes place on the mattress, a good distance from Tony.

Then he takes a deep breath.

“I might have realized, in these days that you were gone, that things might have gone a bit too fast between us,” Tony admits. And it’s true, too. They kissed once, and the next time they saw each other they were in bed together! Not that they’ve done much other than making out, but it comes out to the same thing; they’ve been acting too much like an actual ‘couple’ instead of actually working up to it.

“We haven’t had…” Steve starts.

“Sex, I know – stop being so flustered or I’m going to repeat the word time after time. And now, I don’t think we’ll have it soon. Because that, too, is something to work up to. And I guess that’s the reason you’re so at war with it; it’s too much, too soon, and you were afraid we were going to topple the boat.”

“Uh?” Steve asks, not really understanding the metaphor. Tony just shakes his head.

“Never mind, what I’m trying to say is; we need to take a few steps back. Maybe just go on a few dates and get to know each other a bit more,” Tony clarifies.

“We already know each other, Tony,” Steve counters, but Tony shakes his head.

“I’ve come to realize I don’t really know _that_ much. Believe it or not, I might have looked stuff up on the internet about… uh, ‘relationship troubles’. I found this thing on ‘how much do you know your partner’-crap, and realized I couldn’t even fill in half of these questions.”

“So, what are you proposing?” Steve asks, and Tony clears his throat before grabbing Steve’s hands.

“How about tonight you stay over, because somebody still needs to watch me – though can’t we stop that? Haven’t I been doing pretty good, lately? – anyway, tomorrow morning, you’ll be gone and I’ll spend time with Peter while you do your Avengers-business, and Monday evening, I’ll pick you up at seven and take you out for dinner?”

Steve’s mouth falls open from the sudden brain-vomit that came out of Tony. Before he can respond to it, Tony shuffles forward a bit, squeezing Steve’s hands. He presses their foreheads together as their eyes stare into each other.

“Don’t worry about being seen, I know some good incognito places. Just put on something nice, but not too nice.”

Steve then eventually smiles, and nods his head.

“I would love to,” he admits. Tony can feel his relieved breath on his skin. Automatically, he leans forward to steal a kiss, and instead of pulling away, Steve joins him. Lips pressed together, Steve still manages to speak when they part for those few milliseconds at a time. “We’ll start tomorrow, right? I just… I’ve missed you so much these past weeks and I really need you close now.”

“Tomorrow,” Tony promises. “Now, less talking and more making out.”

 

And so they do. Steve allows Tony to pull him down on the mattress, letting the engineer sit down on top of him. Their breaths become heavy, lips never parting from each other. To be able to feel Steve’s strong form underneath him again after more than two weeks makes him hungry enough that he could just ravish him on the spot.

He knows he’s not the only one feeling this way; Steve craves the touch just as much. It’s clear in the way his hands grab on to him, digging in his shirt and pulling it over his head without any warning. And while Tony would have hesitated to let anybody see him without anything to cover his chest, he’s not feeling any doubt in letting Steve see the massive circular scar he has on his sternum.

Instead of being put off by it, Steve does the same thing Pepper used to do; he admires it. He’s not disturbed by the obvious amount of scar tissue he’s got, not afraid to put his lips onto it and kiss him there where once the arc reactor used to be to keep him alive.

And suddenly the roles are reversed, and Steve is towering above Tony, worshipping the engineer’s chest in such an adoration that makes Tony once again melt on the spot. All too soon, things are starting to get extremely tight in his pants. Every part of him tells him to stop right now.

“Urgh, Steve, stop,” Tony mutters when Steve starts pressing kisses on his belly, getting too low for Tony’s comfort. The super soldier immediately looks up, scared for what could be the reason for him to call it quits.

“Did I hurt you?” he asks, already pulling away from him. Tony shakes his head and grabs him behind the neck to smash their lips together again. A confused sound escapes Steve’s mouth.

“You could never hurt me,” Tony says, not believing how sappy he’s feeling right now. “Though somebody’s getting a bit too interested right now, and we did just state that we wouldn’t be having sex yet.”

Steve groans, rubbing his nose against Tony’s while biting the man’s lower lip teasingly.

“We never said anything about sex,” he whispers heatedly. Tony chuckles but then shakes his head. With all the willpower he has, he gently pushes Steve away from him and turns to his side to look at the other man.

“Not yet, Steve,” Tony says, passing his hand over Steve’s bare chest and rubbing circles over his skin. “If I’m not wrong, it would be your first time, so we might want to keep that for a special occasion.”

Steve groans in annoyance and throws his head back on the pillow. He’s now lying on his back, his hands resting on his own stomach while he tries to cool off as well.

“Besides, Peter is here tonight. And while the walls are sound proof, I don’t really want him to walk in on us.”

Steve then pales a bit before nodding.

“I expect candlelight and champagne then, Tony,” Steve mutters with a grin. Tony lets out a laugh and nods, shuffling closer towards Steve and resting his head on the Captain’s chest. He closes his eyes when a hand comes to rest on his shoulder, enjoying the hold he’s in.

“For you, everything,” he whispers out. Steve leans his head down and presses another light kiss on the top of his head.

“Goodnight, Tony.”

“Goodnight, honey,” Tony jokes. But even as the words come out, he knows it’s not really a joke.

He sleeps good that night. And when the morning comes, all there’s left of Steve is a small letter the man left for him.

> _I’ll see you tomorrow morning.  
>  With love, Steve. _

 

* * *

 

 

As it turns out, Tony Stark always comes up with the weirdest plans.

Peter wakes up in the morning, only to be greeted by his father, who is looking way too excited for being barely awake. The guy made him breakfast, and even as Peter is eating, the guy is still jumping around excitedly. Before Peter can even ask where Steve is, the guy starts explaining what he’s planned for today.

“We’re going to Disneyland,” he says proudly. Peter’s mouth falls open in surprise, and his spoon, which he was using to eat his breakfast with, drops down on the table.

Is this how the guy usually spends his Sundays?

“Uh, how are we going to get there?” Peter asks, realizing it’s a stupid question the moment it comes out of his mouth. Tony grins at him. Even more so when there’s a knock on the door. Immediately, he frowns.

“How about you open it, sport?” the man says, obviously having a few things in mind. Peter carefully stands up, leaving his breakfast for what it is and getting to the door.

He shouldn’t have been too surprised that Tony would have invited Aunt May to come to Disneyland as well. The guy can arrange everything.

Peter’s aunt is beyond excited. She’s already wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, a backpack stuck to her back and a cap on her head. The smile on her face is endless, showing the lines on her face but making her all the more beautiful. Peter likes it when Aunt May is happy. She’s had it rough after losing Uncle Ben, but now she seems to have finally found peace with his passing.

“Isn’t this exciting?!” the woman says when she’s inside. “Tony, I can’t believe you asked me to join! I normally thought we’d agreed that we would just each hang out with him on our own terms, but I’m glad I could tag along with this one!”

Tony just shakes his head and waves it off like it’s no big deal.

“It’s no big deal,” he confirms Peter’s thoughts. It’s almost as if the guy read Peter’s thoughts. “I figured you would enjoy this small trip as well.”

Beyond happy, Aunt May gives Peter her ‘ _can you believe it?’_ -look, and Peter laughs back at her, a little nervous at the idea of going to Disneyland. Not that he doesn’t want to go, but he’s just never been there, and he’s not sure what to expect. It’s every kid’s dream to ever go there, but the luxury of money was not one they had at the Parker household. Besides…

“Isn’t it a five-hour flight from here to there?” Peter asks. Tony just snorts before passing his hand back through Peter’s hair.

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve designed a few quinjets. I can make the trip in about two hours! Now get dressed, we’ll leave in fifteen minutes.”

Peter doesn’t need to be told twice. He gets his breakfast in with hurried bites, and then runs to the room to get some clothes on. The attempt to tame his bedridden hair is hopeless, so with curls going all the way Peter appears back at the living room, holding up his arms to the side when he gets an unimpressed look from his Aunt.

“It won’t stay down,” Peter mutters. Aunt May hurries towards him and makes quick work of styling his hair back down. When she, too, fails at it, she just takes off the cap she’s wearing and puts it on Peter’s head instead.

True to Tony’s word, the Quinjet move quicker than any plane. They arrive about two hours after leaving the tower; two hours filled with playing cards with his Aunt or watching a movie with her while Tony is flying the thing. At one point he put up automatic pilot, but that was only to get a quick bathroom break.

Their arrival at the park brought both Peter and Aunt May speechless as they walked through the gate. Thanks to Tony’s probably very expensive VIP-passes, they get in almost immediately without any trouble. They’re handed a map of the entire place, and the only thing Tony tells them is that they can chose where they want to go first.

It’s crazy. They hop from attraction to attraction, being stopped a few times by some fans that want a picture with the Iron Man. Tony buys them a very expensive lunch and even dinner later in the day. They get pictures with every Disney-character they want, and Aunt May even gets a fake proposal from Prince Charming.

The day is filled with laughter. More so than Peter could have imagine having after the crappy way he’s been feeling yesterday. Aunt May takes a lot of pictures, and they watch the parade and fireworks in the evening.

Peter’s a little sad when they have to leave again after the fireworks, but seeing as it’s a school day tomorrow, they have to leave now. It’ll already be past midnight when they return home, and he needs to get at least a little bit of sleep.

When the quinjet drops them off at the tower, Tony calls for Happy to bring them back home. Before they leave, Peter pulls Tony into a strong hug, grateful for the day he’s had.

“Thank you,” he whispers. The ‘dad’-word is on the tip of his tongue, but he figures it might still be too early. So he keeps that to himself. He gives his father a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away and hurrying after his aunt, away from the tower.

 

* * *

 

 

“No way, he took you to Disneyland?”

Peter grins while he holds out the phone that shows pictures of him and Tony standing next to Minnie and Mickey Mouse. Aunt May had insisted on them being on this one together, so the two had complied without any complaining.

“He totally did!” Peter exclaims happily. Then he points at his shirt. “He even got me this Star Wars t-shirt!”

“So awesome!” Ned calls out, seeming like he’s about to faint from the excitement. He takes Peter’s phone from him and scrolls through the pictures they’ve taken yesterday, along with the one they’ve downloaded from the Photo pass Tony arranged. “I’m actually even a bit jealous!”

“Don’t worry, next time I’ll ask him if you can come along. Maybe we can get all of the Avengers to join,” Peter assures him. Ned, being Ned, starts waving his arms excitedly again. He’s such a fanboy.

“Maybe during summer break? I mean, now with the final coming closer, my mom doesn’t want me to do big things like that. And not everybody is a big genius like you are,” Ned teases him with a wink. Peter just scoffs.

“Yeah, uh, genius you say,” Peter mutters, putting his phone away again after Ned hands it back. “The only reason I’ve pulled up my grades enough to _maybe_ pass is because the guy I’m interning for is also my dad.”

“Which he didn’t know at first,” Ned points out, while literally pointing his egg roll Peter’s way. “You got yourself back up on your own.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony would actually blackmail principal Morita to get me to pass,” Peter jokes, and Ned, too, starts to laugh. The dining hall starts to empty as the students make their way outside for a few more minutes before classes start.

His arrival at school has been met with some looks from his fellow students. He’s sure that the video Flash shared online has something to do with that. So far, though, nobody has pointed it out to him, mostly because he’s been hiding away behind his hood.

Flash is surprisingly absent from school, so there’s nobody to mock Peter, which is at least something good. Unfortunately, the same doesn’t count for Michelle, who takes the opportunity of an emptying dining hall as enough reason to sit down at Peter’s and Ned’s table and pull out her phone once again, showing another picture of Peter wearing sexy maid clothes (that don’t at all look sexy on him, might Peter add!) swinging his umbrella in the air. Once again, Peter groans and drops his head on the table.

“You know, I tried to stop you, but you wouldn’t listen,” Michelle mutters with a grin. Peter shakes his head and turns away from this evil girl. “I suppose it’s good everybody was too surprised about your act that nobody filmed that little outburst that purple-haired girl had towards you. I think that was even better.”

Oh, please no. Not another reminder that he’s got an angry friend who refuses to text him back. He doesn’t need that, at all.

“Even more lucky that I did,” she adds, then putting up a video of him and Yaël shouting at each other while everybody around them is staring. Peter is still wearing his ridiculous outfit, but that doesn’t seem to put Yaël off. He can’t hear what they’re yelling about, but he thinks he’d rather not know.

“You’re evil, you know that?” Peter groans internally. Michelle just laughs, throwing her arm over her chair and taking on a casual pose.

“Kind of, but you did impress Liz, so it seems,” she says, nodding towards the girl seated a few tables away from them. The moment she notices them staring, she looks away, back to her friends and pretending she wasn’t observing them. “You two did dance together _very_ closely before you got all _Magic Mike_ on us.”

“Just kill me now,” Peter mutters. It’s not that he doesn’t like Liz; Hell, if he’d never have met Gwen, he would have fallen head over heels for her. But now, even though everything tells him that, yes, she could be a potential girlfriend, that scenario would be in a whole other universe. One where Gwen wouldn’t have been there.

“I never thought a guy would hate that there's a hot girl digging them?” Michelle jokes before standing up. Then she slaps him on the shoulder and makes her exit again. “Better not break her heart, then. She’s now captain of the Decathlon team, and from what I heard, you two losers joined as well.”

Peter’s head shoots up in surprise, eyes boring into Ned’s guilty and squirming form, like the guy is trying to dig himself a hole to escape through the floor.

“You _signed me up_?!” Peter asks loudly. Ned then shrugs with his arms raised up.

“Hey, you once vaguely mentioned you would do it with me! It helps if we sign up now so at least we’ll have a spot in the team for next year!”

“Not like we’ll ever be able to say that we’re full,” Michelle mutters before walking away. Peter glares at her as she wanders off. Why does she even keep on hanging out with them if it’s only to offer sarcastic remarks and being a jerk.

“Ned, I- I- I don’t have time to- to do these kinds of things.”

“C’mon! I’m sure you can arrange something with Mr. Stark about the internship! He’s your dad, after all,” Ned counters. Peter jumps forward and waves his hands at him while making a shushing sound.

“Don’t say that in here!” he hisses back, and Ned takes a look around before frowning back at Peter.

“It’s only an hour, Peter. We do the decathlon, you go to the internship, and then you go home. I’m sure it won’t be _too_ hard to do this,” Ned tries to argue. Peter just groans and shakes his head.

“You know what, whatever… I’ll figure it out next year,” he mutters, wondering how he would even manage to pull all that off _and_ be Spider-Man. He already feels extremely guilty that he’s not protecting the streets due to his wound.

Peter gets ready to put away his plate. He grabs it from the table, stands up, and takes his first few steps before knocking in against somebody and dropping it all to fall. His reflexes are quick enough that he reaches back to it to keep it from breaking on the ground, though only afterwards he realizes that the very few people in the room are watching him.

The girl he’s walked into is chuckling nervously.

“Whoa, I’m sorry, Peter, I didn’t see you there,” Liz Toomes says. Peter takes a step back to look at the damage he’s caused her, happy to see that she isn’t injured from colliding with his hard head.

“No, I’m sorry as well. I was moving a bit too fast the clearly see anything,” he counters. Liz nervously pulls her hair out of her face and gives him a smile, which gives Peter a slight chill as well. Clearing his throat, he takes another step, only to the side, to clear her path.

“Thank you,” she says after he motions for her that she can pass. He doesn’t really know what to feel when her hand is gently put on his shoulder for a few seconds only to be pulled away again. Wordlessly, Peter turns around to see her walk away.

Michelle wasn’t exaggerating; Liz _does_ seem a bit interested. Peter shakes his head again.

“Oooooh, Peter’s got an admirer!” Ned sings from his table, and Peter feels his face heat up. Shushing him once again, he figures he might as well make his leave from here immediately before anybody could hear the guy.

 

* * *

 

 

People think that Tony never listens.

True, whenever things are boring or just plainly have nothing to do with him, he tends not to listen. But more often than not, he’s giving it all his attention despite not looking like he’s doing it. Especially when people are talking about things they’re passionate about; things they’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t found any chance to do it.

Steve has such a few things he’s passionate about. Tony vaguely remembers the guy mentioning them, and of course once he’s heard it, it stays in his brain for a long time. That’s how he’s managed to plan out this entire evening without any trouble.

Dressed in clothing that Pepper once described as ‘casual chique’, and without the sunglasses, Tony is seated in the car, having parked it in front of the compound. A bit nervously, he takes a few more moments behind the wheel with the radio still playing loudly. It helps to calm his mind a bit, to have music blasting from all around him.

It’s not that he’s hesitating about this; if anything the only thing he’s hesitant about is whether or not he’s organized something good here. Will Steve even like this all? Or would he think Tony’s attempt at diving back into the ‘good old days’ were too bold?

He’s been working himself up for the past ten minutes since he’s been here, silently freaking out about everything. His first instinct right now is to just turn back and pretend like this never happened. Luckily, he never really follows his instinct when it comes to matters like these, and he doesn’t drive the car back around to return to the tower.

“ _Are you experiencing trouble, sir?”_ FRIDAY asks curiously after another five minutes have passed. Tony startles, looking at the radio he installed the AI into back when he first bought and modified this car.

“Uh, no, not at all, Fri,” Tony assures her.

“ _Then can I be so bold to ask what you’re waiting for?”_ she asks for clarification. Tony just laughs and detaches the safety belt before reaching for the door.

“I suppose I’m just an idiot,” he says, tapping the dashboard lightly as he steps out. He’s not wearing a tie, but he’s still wearing a vest above the dark grey shirt. As he walks, he passes his hands over it to clear them out, making sure that his collar is still in place and his shirt is tucked back into his pants. The cuffs of his shirt are still buttoned together.

Alright, better not hesitate too much. Tony holds up his badge towards the identification scanner, and then the door opens up to him.

“ _Welcome Mr. Stark,_ ” the automatic voice says once he’s recognized. Tony ignores it, instead just walking inside and taking a look around.

During the evening, the Compound is a whole lot less crowded than during the day; With barely any people that do evening work, the only persons in the building are the Avengers themselves – and they are mostly staying at their living quarters during the evening.

Tony knows the way well; he’s designed this damn place, after all.

“You dress up nicely,” Natasha says the moment Tony walks into the living quarters. Sam, Rhodey and Wanda are seated on the couch, looking at the television. Clint and Vision are playing some pool, while Nat is seated at the bar, enjoying some sort of cocktail she must have brewed herself.

“Yeah, got a hot date,” Tony says, wiggling his eyebrows. “Our _first_ date, even!” Natasha just smirks at him. Sam and Rhodey look behind them towards Tony, both frowning.

“Then what are you doing here? Go to your date!” Sam calls out, and Rhodey opens his mouth to say something, but then thinks better of it and shuts up instead. Of course, Rhodey knows about Tony and Steve; Rhodey knows _everything_ after all. They may not be related by blood, but the guy’s basically Tony’s brother. Instead, Tony receives a grin from the soldier and a wink. A hidden way for them to wish each other luck – though it’s not _that_ much of a secret message.

“Who’d you convince to even agree on going on a date with you?” Clint asks jokingly, taking another swing from his beer while Vision makes his move on the table.

“That would be me,” Steve suddenly says, and every head turns towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. Simultaneously, all the mouths – minus Nat’s and Rhodey’s – fall open from the surprise of an equally fancy-dressed Steve Rogers walking up to them, looking confident but at the same time slightly nervous as well.

Tony can only stare at the super soldier; the last time he’s seen Steve dressed like this was back at the party right before the Ultron disaster happened. He’d been eyeing the soldier already back then, but never really thought anything of it because he was still with Pepper. Now, though, he can’t remember how he would not have kissed the guy on the spot.

“Uh, who else did not see this coming?” Clint asks after a while. Everybody then snorts.

“Dude, I didn’t believe you when you said you see better from up high, but it looks like you were right;   _everybody_ saw this coming,” Sam mutters. “I’m just more surprised about the fact that this is only your first date; we’d expected you two to be together for far longer than that.”

Once Steve has reached Tony, the engineer can clearly see Steve’s cheeks redden from the admission. Tony tries to wave it off while chuckling.

“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” he says dismissingly before opening his arm towards Steve, waiting for him to hook his own arm into it. “Shall we go, Cap?”

Steve smiles at him and then nods before hooking his arm with Tony’s. “Of course, Tony.”

After a quick goodbye to the other Avengers, both Tony and Steve are off, on their way to the car.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Stony Date FINALLY  
> \- Peter being a dumb teenager in search for trouble  
> Thanks for the kind comments, as always. I love you all. ^^  
> Normally I always make art for my stories. I should start making some for this one!

Peter figures that he’s ready to get back into the action. With Aunt May out to hang with her friends and no homework left for him to do, the teenager stands in front of the mirror to look at the scar he’s got on his abdomen.

It’s only a thin pink line now; healed much faster than it should have. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore, unless applied large pressure on it, which he doesn’t plan on having. He traces it a few times with his fingers, doing the same thing with the scar on his back which looks the exact same way.

The suit, having been put in the closet for a long while, feels a bit stiff after being locked away for such a long time. It takes a few stretching moves to loosen it up a bit. Putting on the mask gives Peter another strange sense of relief. He’s missed being Spider-Man, and he knows he’ll have his work cut out for him tonight; after all, a hiatus of two and half weeks is enough to give the criminals a feeling of security on the streets – which in turns gives the people a feeling of _in_ security.

He’s out of the apartment building in no time, already swinging his way out of Queens and heading more into Midtown. That’s where he usually starts, though other than that he doesn’t particularly have a tour to follow. Sometimes he gets all the way to Coney Island, sometimes he even passes through Hell’s Kitchen.

Peter hits the jackpot almost immediately when he sees a couple of people robbing a little store. One of the masked goons is holding up a gun, waiting for the cashier to hand out all of his money. The old man, a true hero in Peter’s eyes, bluntly refuses, shaking his head. Peter figures it’s best to deal with this quickly in order to avoid an old man’s death.

The moment he bursts through the door, he shoots out a web to pull the gun out of the guy’s hands, only to realize a bit too late that, simultaneously, the four other goons point their own weapons at Peter out of reflex.

Eh, at least the shop-keeper is out of danger.

“Uh, hi fellas! What’s going on here?” he asks casually, trying not to think too much about the fact that there’s a gun pointed at him.

“You, stay out of this!” the guy whose gun Peter stole shouts. In turn, he takes out his knife and holds it out dangerously towards Peter, about ready to stab him.

Yeah, no, that’s not going to happen. Two sutures have been enough, thank you very much. Even quicker than the five men can react, Peter shoots out five more webs, one almost immediately after the other. Still, one of the guys is quick enough to respond before the gun is pulled out of his hand, and before Peter knows it there’s a gun headed his way.

Crap, his reflexes hit immediately, making him jump to the right, though not fast enough. The gun grazes over his shoulder, drawing blood and tearing through his suit.

“Hey! Come on! I just fixed this suit!” Peter complains. He’s fixed the damn thing more often than not, and he’s slowly growing tired of it. The materials are expensive enough as it is, and the more he fixes it, the more he comes to realize he might just have to design a whole new thing that will at least be a bit more durable. And offer a bit more protection. He might try and use some stuff Tony’s using for his own mystery suit.

The goons let out a simultaneous growl, and they rush towards Peter, fists raised in the air and anger clear enough to be read in their eyes through the masks. Meanwhile, the shop-keeper hides behind the counter and grabs for the phone above him.

Fighting these goons feels just like old times. He avoids, jumps and steps aside, but never throws the punch. It’s better to just wait for these guys to tire themselves out. Which they do rather quickly. As the one on his left starts gasping for breath, the one on his right takes a few steps back to get his composure back on. The other three start failing their punches even more, and that’s when Peter strikes.

Using his webs to bind their hands together, the men find themselves unable to get free. With loud and breathy gasps, Peter then lets go of five more webs, aiming them at their feet to pull them along. As they glide across the floor, Peter opens the door back up and makes sure to install his signature web-trap for the police to find. After making sure that they won’t be able to escape, Peter hurries back inside.

“Hey, do you have a piece of paper and a marker?”

In the next hour, he’s gone through all of Midtown. He follows a mugger all the way to Hell’s Kitchen where he finds a surprising lack of _Daredevil_ , somehow. Then, when the sirens ring, Peter decides to track the police cars, which brings him in Brooklyn all of the sudden.

Finding that there’s nothing other than one more armed robbery, Peter quickly takes care of it as well, handing out the group of criminals to the police. The only thing he’s got from it is another gun-graze – which means that he’s been extremely lucky tonight, since that’s twice in one evening! (His reflexes don’t seem to be on their best today… He needs more warm-up.)

Feeling a small ache in his side from all the action, Peter decides to take a small rest on top of a building. He sits down with his feet hanging over the edge, and he takes a good look around him, taking in the permanent wakefulness that is New York. He’s never been in Brooklyn much, but he finds it familiar enough to know his way in and out.

It’s ten minutes into his break on the roof that he sees them; they come out of a fancy car that is parked in front of a pizzeria – the chances that they’d find someplace to park is even a wonder – dressed in clothing one would wear at a fancy party. Tony is coming out of the driver’s seat, hurrying towards the other side to open up the door for none other than Steve. He holds out his hand for the Captain to take, and then, like a gentleman, he helps his date out of the car.

Because that’s what Peter supposes this is; a date.

His first instinct is to call out for them, make them know that he’s here and to wish them luck. But he quickly thinks better of it; Steve nor Tony know about Peter Parker and Spider-Man being the same person. The more time they even spend with Peter, the bigger the chances become that they might recognize him through his voice alone, no matter how much he tries to lower it down.

Peter stays quiet, watching how Tony says something to Steve, who starts laughing genuinely. The two make their way to a pizzeria Peter knows has been here a long time. Peter figures that must be back from Steve’s time when he sees the Captain’s reaction upon seeing the building in front of him.

He doesn’t hear what they’re saying, only that Steve looks extremely grateful, pressing a kiss on Tony’s cheek before pulling him inside. That’s when Peter loses sight of them, and decides not to linger any longer.

The two should be able to enjoy their date without Peter stalking them.

Cursing himself for still _feeling_ that ache in his scar – he clearly _wasn’t_ as healed as he thought – Peter starts to slowly make his way back to Queens. Once home, he takes a shower, a light painkiller Dr. Cho prescribed him, and then he heads to bed.

One look at his cellphone, he finds that he’s got a few texts. Mostly from Wade, two more from Ned.

And surprisingly, one from Michelle. Opening it, he finds a video message that he immediately recognizes as the video of his fight with Yaël at the party she tried to show him back at school.

Deciding not to open it just yet, Peter puts his phone aside and closes his eyes, sleep catching him almost immediately.

 

* * *

 

“You’re actually driving us,” Steve states as Tony takes a seat behind the wheel. He grins widely at his date in confirmation.

“I do drive sometimes, you know,” he states. In one swift motion, he turns the car around and heads away from the compound, back towards the city. As always, traffic is a nightmare, but that’s why Tony had calculated that he should make the reservations at eight instead of seven. That gives them a full hour to get there, and if they’re early, Tony will just take him out for a walk through Brooklyn.

That’s his plan; after finding out that there’s a certain pizza-place that has been there even before the second world war, he immediately read up an article about it where the owner from back then proudly said that the one and only Captain America used to be a regular customer before being called to war. Tony put two and two together, and decided they don’t _fancy_ food to have a good date.

He keeps his mouth shut about their destination the entire ride, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re headed to Brooklyn. Steve, who seems about just as nervous as Tony is feeling, is practically jumping up and down his seat. What this guy’s fixation is with Brooklyn, Tony wonders if he’ll ever know.

“So how did your day with Peter go yesterday?” Steve asks casually when they’re once again stuck in traffic. Tony, who without thinking had grabbed Steve’s hand during the drive, hums out happily remembering the good day.

“It was great; I took him and his Aunt to Disneyland, and I suppose we’ve got our first father-son picture together, though there’s the two large plush-mice to consider.”

“You mean Mickey and Minnie Mouse?” Steve asks with a chuckle. Tony just grins again before squeezing Steve’s hand. After a few seconds he realizes he should let go for now; he’s already acting too much like they’re an actual couple, and their first date has barely started.

Steve seems disappointed in the loss of contact, and so is Tony, but an agreement is an agreement. Instead, Tony puts his right hand on the wheel, and rests his left elbow in the open window.

“Can I see the pictures?” Steve asks then. Tony nods, before leaning towards the dashboard and opening up the screen.

“FRIDAY, can you put up the pics May took from yesterday?” he asks.

“ _Of course,”_ FRIDAY answers in that usual dry way of hers. Tony doesn’t need to look at the screen to know the pictures are up. He hears it in the way Steve is reaching forward to scroll through them.

“These are amazing, Tony,” Steve exclaims. “You look happy.”

And if the car hadn’t been standing still back then, he would have stopped it at that sudden thought. He looks ‘happy’, so Steve says. But, when he thinks of it, he’d _been_ happy, too. Despite that heavy feeling of clouds hanging above his head for months since his break-up with Pepper, now he’s actually feeling _good_ somehow.

With that thought, Tony turns his head towards Steve, staring at him with his mouth fallen open. Peter makes him happy. _Steve_ makes him happy. His life is going further, and he’s no longer having the feeling like being dragged along. Even this date has been _his_ idea.

He’s taking it back into his hands.

Without any warning, Tony leans forward, grabbing Steve by the cheek and kissing him full on the mouth. It’s not a quick peck, not at all. It’s something more than that; a promise that he’s fine, that he’s doing better. A promise that he will try and be someone _good_ for Steve, for Peter.

A promise that he’ll take better care of himself whenever he’s feeling down again.

Though, even in this kiss, all he asks in return is that Steve never leaves him without any good reason. That Steve stays by his side, guides him through the worst. That, while Tony will take care of him, Steve takes care of him in return.

“Fuck, I adore you,” Tony mutters against Steve’s lips right before pulling back. Steve’s cheeks are colored red, as always whenever they kiss. Despite the countless times of making out, Steve still gets flustered from a short kiss on the mouth. Isn’t he ever-adorable?

“I, uh,” Steve starts, stammering out his words. “Likewise,” he finishes. Tony just snorts. He pecks him one last time, but eventually pulls back completely to focus back on the road. Traffic is starting to move forward again, so he prepares himself to accelerate.

“Ever so good with words, Rogers,” Tony teases him. Without looking, he reaches out with his hand until he’s touching Steve’s cheek. Then he strokes it shortly before getting the hand back on the wheel. Steve stops him midway, grabbing Tony’s hand and holding on to it as if it’s a lifeline.

Right, so much for their couple of steps back. Ah, well, they didn’t say they would go back to the complete beginning, right?

Twenty more minutes, the two men have been stuck in traffic. Following FRIDAY’s suggestions on multiple parking spaces, Tony finds somewhere to stop very close to their destination, which is where he heads to. Once the engine is shut down, Tony holds up his hand in a waiting gesture towards Steve, instructing him to stay into the car.

Then he hurries out, running around the car to get to the other door. Trying to be a true gentleman, he bows forward before opening the door, holding out his hand to hand it to Steve, who rolls his eyes but can’t seem to help himself from grinning.

“Am I wooing you, yet?” Tony asks once he closes up the car, pulling Steve along by his hand towards the destination he has in mind. It’s only around the corner of the street they’re parked in, so it’s not far at all. Steve still has no clue.

“You’re getting there,” Steve tells him with a wink, and Tony bumps up against him playfully.

“I’m going to have to pull out all the stops, then,” Tony teased back. Steve lets out a small chuckle, squeezing Tony’s hand and pulling it up to press a quick kiss against his knuckles.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you; you’re Tony Stark, after all,” he assures him. Tony smiles lightly before pulling him along. It’s about time they get to their destination, because Tony is starving, and he’s sure Steve is, too.

His reaction upon seeing the pizzeria in front of him in what must be a very familiar hallway is priceless. Steve has his mouth fallen open, eyes open wide, as he stares at the windows he recognizes, along with the name of the place, the little flowers drawn with an artistic hand against the door, where now a plate is put up with ‘PUSH’ written on it.

“How did you-?” he starts to ask, but he can’t seem to finish. That’s alright, Steve knows the question.

“You told me once this is where you and Bucky used to go when you were younger. You also once said to me that these flowers on the door were actually painted by you, though it looks like they’ve been repainted a little while back.”

Looking at the yellow, happy flowers, Tony can’t help but smile. He can recognize Steve’s style in there immediately. It’s in the perfect, neat lines, the little attention to detail. Tony loves everything about this artwork, even if it’s public property.

Suddenly, he’s pulled into an extremely strong hug. He shouldn’t even be surprised by Steve’s reaction, though the breath is still stolen out of his lungs. After a small moment of shock, Tony manages to put up another smile and gently taps Steve on the back.

“C’mon, I got a reservation at eight, so we’re actually eight minutes late,” Tony tells him. Steve quickly pulls back, keeping his hands on Tony’s arms and looking deeply into his eyes.

“Thank you, Tony. Really.”

“You’re welcome,” Tony answers. After that, he motions for them to get inside.

The waiter points them at their table after a quick explanation. The pizzeria isn’t the fanciest of eating places, but it’s got a nostalgic vibe in it. In the background, the typical Italian music is playing. On the walls, aside from more of Steve’s obvious artwork, framed pictures are hanging. One of them is from the current owner’s father, posing for the picture with none other than the man sitting in front of Tony right now.

The two look at it, but soon enough, Tony turns his attention towards Steve, seeing the other man’s reaction to it.

Steve looks quiet, eyes checking out the photograph of himself with a man that used to be a friend. Even from this far, Tony can see that it’s signed, though what it says, he can’t read.

“’Keep on bakin’!’. That’s what it says,” Steve explains. Before Tony can say anything in return, the waiter offers them the menu. Steve thanks him, giving him a smile before he walks off again. At first, he seems hesitant on opening the door, but after a while he does cast a glance towards it.

Tony can see quickly enough that the menu, too, has been designed by Steve. Is this whole place pimped up by him? Tony knows the guy did some freelance painting jobs, but it’s almost as if Steve designed this whole place!

Which is weird, in a way, since usually it’s Tony who designs places.

“And he did,” Tony adds to Steve, who smiles and looks down. Then he puts his hand on the table, close enough to touch. Tony, not stupid at all, knows an invitation when he sees one. Without hesitation, he reaches up his hand, resting it on top of Steve’s and gently stroking his skin under his fingertips.

“Did you rent off the place just so we can be alone?” Steve asks, obviously being with this question for a little while now. Tony snorts, but doesn’t deny it.

“I figured we weren’t really… we don’t want the world to find out that we’re-“

“In a relationship?” Steve tries to finish when Tony hesitates on his words.

“No, uh, just… this?” Tony corrects him, gesturing to all around him. Steve smirks and leans back a bit in his seat.

“People would call this ‘dating’,” Steve offers. Tony rolls his eyes but he can’t help the smirk on his lips.

“I know, but applying that term to me makes it sound like I’ve got a midlife crisis,” Tony mutters, mostly to himself. Of course, Steve would hear it!

“Let’s just admit it Tony; you’ve been having a midlife crisis almost all your life.”

Steve gets a small glare for that, but Tony doesn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he uses his fingers to squeeze Steve’s teasingly.

“Shut up, fossil,” Tony fights back, but he knows it’s hopeless.

Their evening goes like this most of the time. After getting their orders, they dive into conversation. Steve finds out more about Tony’s time with the Jarvis’, and Steve, in turn, tells Tony about his adventures with Bucky. Most of their adventures end up with the two of them, hanging out on this very spot. It intrigues Tony, giving him chills at the idea that he gets to know so many things about Steve.

Three hours into their date, they decide to head out. Tony pays the bill, guiding Steve out of the restaurant. After another short trip, Tony parks his car again in an empty parking lot. Before he can open up the door to help Steve out, the super soldier is already standing outside.

“What more do you have planned?” Steve asks, then. Tony just smirks, but doesn’t say anything. Leading them to a little alleyway with nothing really inside of it. Just when Steve opens his mouth to ask what’s going on, Tony opens up a side-door, nodding towards Steve as an indication that he should get inside.

It’s probably the sound of the music reaching Steve’s ears that makes his mouth drop open in surprise. Allowing Tony to pull him inside, Steve seems shocked at hearing what must probably be familiar notes to his ears.

“What is this place, Tony?” Steve asks, a little confused. Tony doesn’t say anything. Their hands are still tied together, and before they know it, they’re standing in an open room, filled with people dancing like their lives depend on it. Everybody in the darkened room is laughing, the spotlight continuously falling on whatever couple is dancing in the center.

They’re swinging. Literally.

Tony found out about this place mostly by surprise. When he looked up stuff that had to do with the forties, he stumbled across a website of a small organization that hosts small dance parties dedicated to certain era’s. Every Monday it’s the forties, which is why Tony has dragged Steve all the way here.

“My, uh… Aunty Peggy used to tell me about how she wanted to take you dancing, but she never got to do that.” Tony turns to look at Steve, grabbing now both of his hands. “I figured… I could take you, instead?”

Steve seems speechless. Worry immediately grows over Tony’s thoughts.

“I mean, if you don’t want to, I’d understand. It’s something you wanted to do with her and maybe this is all just a reminder of what you’ve lost, and maybe this was just a stupid idea and forget about it let’s just go back to-“

A finger is put on Tony’s lips, right before it’s replaced with Steve’s mouth on his. The kiss is short and firm, and once Steve pulls back, his hands hold on to Tony’s arms tightly.

“I would love to dance with you, Tony,” Steve assures him. “Though I don’t know how?”

Tony smiles lightly.

“I’ll teach you, just follow my lead,” he answers, before pulling Steve along on the dancefloor, but staying on the side. It’s time to dance to the swing of the music.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s only typical for Peter to go to the compound as soon as school is over. Happy is already waiting for him, being as distant as always – Peter just figures it’s more a thing about being uncomfortable around kids and teens rather than him just not liking him. Through the crowded traffic, Happy curses at incompetent drivers once every while. Peter doesn’t point it out, knowing he’ll only be met with silence.

Arriving at the Compound is just like always; he’s greeted by a few of the Avengers, heads to the kitchen to grab a coffee for him and Tony, and then he heads to the workshop to get some work going.

It’s nearing the end of May, now, and finals are getting closer again. Of course, Peter knows that he’s going to nail every test, and he’s almost certain that he’s raised up his points enough with this internship. Even the teachers seem positive that he’s going to pass his year, which is why he’s not really worried about it anymore.

With the sunlight shining right into the workshop, Peter notices immediately that there’s something missing. Or rather, someone…

“Where’s your babysit?” Peter asks Tony, putting down the cup of coffee he brought along on Tony’s desk as soon as he nears him. The engineer looks up at his son, and offers him a smile.

“I convinced the boss I’m clear,” Tony says with a wink, groaning a bit when he stands up and Peter, who had been in the middle of drinking, chokes on the hot liquid.

“Gross, man, I don’t need to know about what you and Steve are doing when I’m gone!” Peter mutters, complaining about the image he desperately tries to get out of his mind.

“Now who’s a dirty thinker? There was no sexy-time involved, if you really want to know,” Tony offers with another smirk on his lips. Peter lowers his cup, knowing he won’t be drinking it any time soon. Tony, in return, just laughs even louder. “C’mon, I’m sure I don’t need to have the big talk with you, do I?”

“Please, don’t,” Peter groans. He sits down at his desk next to Tony’s, gives Dum-E a pat on his head, and then starts drawing out the first drafts for his newest idea, since the suit is – according to Tony – completely finished.

“What’cha working on?” Tony asks. Peter doesn’t look up from what he’s doing, something he knows Tony does as well when he’s concentrating really hard.

“Just… thought about doing what you did – with Dum-E? I thought he would like a little cousin.” Peter shrugs as he draws out the first design for his own bot. He doesn’t know how long it’ll take for him to finish this one, but it’s a nice project.

“Sounds… amazing,” Tony breathes out, hurrying towards Peter’s side to see what he’s got so far. “I wouldn’t make this so long; it’ll throw it out of balance.” Tony points his finger at the neck of the bot that Peter created.

“Huh, you’re right,” Peter mutters out. He erases a part of the neck, and makes it shorter.

For the following ten minutes, the two get themselves working on the first few designs until Peter chases him off, telling him that he wants to make this one himself. Tony surrenders with a laugh, and gets to work on his own thing.

They do their own thing for about two hours until the door opens, revealing Steve coming their way. Peter gives him a small wave, and he gets a hand passing over his head – messing up his hair – in return.

“Good evening, Peter,” Steve says, pulling his hand away. Peter just hums at him, hearing Steve make his way towards Tony. Then, at last, he looks up. Tony is still seated at his desk, working on whatever he’s working on. Steve is leaning over him, looking over his shoulder to see what’s going on. Peter can see the super soldier passing his hand over Tony’s back.

“You’re sweaty,” Tony mutters. Steve snorts.

“Just came back from working out. Wanted to check on you two, see if everything’s alright,” Steve explains. Peter snorts a little bit, but he puts his stuff down.

“Hey, uh, I’m going to take a little walk for a bit, okay?” he calls out. Tony waves at him, nodding in understanding. Then Peter gets up from his desk and starts heading towards the door. He knows that, as soon as those two are together, they won’t really notice him being gone for at least a little while. These two are still too much into the honeymoon phase.

Peter knows that they’re taking things slow again; he’s aware of the dates they’ve been going on, almost going three times in a single week. Peter’s been counting them, knowing that their next date tonight will be their seventh. What they do all the time, though, he has no idea about.

Peter pulls out his phone and starts to compose a message together.

  * _I’m doing it now._



In under a minute, he gets Ned’s reply.

  * **_I'm not sure about this, Peter. It doesn't sound like a good idea_**  

  * _C'mon pal, you know how much it means to me.  
  
_
  * **_... alright, but be careful._**



Peter snorts again, wondering when he’s ever been careful. For the past few days he’s been wandering around in the compound, checking out the place and figuring out where everything exactly is. He’s been planning this for a while, waiting for the right opportunity. The best one is when both Steve and Tony are distracted, since they’re the ones who will mostly be looking for him. The others probably think he’s already heading back home.

Following the directions the way he remembers them, he finds himself in front of a reinforced door. He knows what’s behind there, but he’s never been inside. Carefully, Peter holds up his hand to the doorknob and tries turning it around.

It won’t budge, much like last time.

“ _May I ask what you intend to do, Mr. Parker?”_

Peter looks up, shrugging a bit like it’s not that big of a deal.

“I want to see him,” he returns. There’s only a moment of silence from FRIDAY. “Tony can’t know about this.”

“ _You know I can’t lie to him, Peter,”_ FRIDAY responds. Peter sighs.

“If he asks after it specifically,” Peter returns. “He’s otherwise engaged, right now. He won’t be asking.”

Another moment of hesitation coming from FRIDAY, and then suddenly the door opens, revealing a light hallway in front of him with multiple doors on each side of the hallway. It looks very much like a psychiatric ward in all those movies.

Peter takes a few careful steps forward. He’s got no idea where to look, but the doors have small little viewing glasses. One by one, Peter gives a look through them, finding only empty rooms.

Only at the end of the hallway, a room is occupied. It’s a slightly bigger room than the other one. The person inside of it looks sick in every way. His skin looks almost green, with weird scars all over his skin. His hair is messy, going almost every way. His eyes, once blue and happy, now look empty and hollow, almost devoid of all colors.

Harry Osborn doesn’t look anything like how he used to be. He’d been falling apart before he took in the Spider-Vendom, but now… It’s almost like he’s undergone a complete transformation. His arms are stuck inside a suit, much like they’re wearing in all those cheap movies. He looks every bit like the psychiatric patiënt, only with less security around him.

“Aren’t there any guards?” Peter asks.

“ _Mr. Stark has put the security system at its maximum here. There’s a small army of the Iron Legion nearby. The doors are reinforced, and we’ve taken away all possibilities for him to escape.”_

Peter doesn’t seem too sure about that; Harry already escaped twice. He’s crafty enough, always waiting for the right opportunity.

Peter just hopes he’s not about to create one for him, now.

“Will you let me in?” Peter asks.

“ _I don’t think that’s a good-“_

“Just do it, please. He’s my friend,” Peter begs of her. FRIDAY doesn’t answer, but only opens up the door, giving Peter the chance to walk inside. Behind him, it closes again, locking him in this cell with the shadow of his former best friend.

“Harry?” Peter asks. The figure on the ground shudders a bit upon hearing his voice. Peter takes a careful step forward. He tries again. “Harry, it’s me; Peter.”

It’s only when he gets close enough that he realizes Harry hadn’t been shivering.

He’d been laughing, silently.

“Hello, Peter,” Harry says, looking up smugly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Harry is back.  
> Yay Harry! Or maybe not? Who knows?  
> I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm watching the (original) Fantastic Four and I feel a need to add these characters more into the story. They've only been mentioned once or twice in the previous chapters.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am literally not okay. I've seen the trailer, and I hated it (not really). If Thanos dares to touch even a SINGLE hair on my boy Peter, causing for Tony to sit there on the ground sadly, I am personally crawling into my screen to rip Thanos' face off, thank you very much!  
> That said, all the way in chapter 35 there's already things that will lead to Infinity War happening. Oh lord, where is this story going? I'm sorry beforehand, because the ideas Caspinn and I have are going to bring lots of feels.  
> On the other hand, the Infinity War won't be a complete part of this story! So whatever (horrible?) things we have planned, you won't read them here, but more in the second part of the series (aka Yael's story) if you want to read it still when the time comes.  
> On another other note, I suppose Posting days have been changed to Sundays and Wednesdays
> 
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Peter being dumb  
> \- Violence against my boy Peter  
> \- Peter saying dumb shit  
> \- Sad Tony

They began planning this a little while ago.

Of course, it’s mostly Peter who did the planning, and Ned trying to stop him, constantly reminding that it was crazy. The plan is stupid, and probably deadly, but Peter needs to know.

Ever since learning that Harry has been confined somewhere in the compound, treated for his illness by the Avenger’s best scientists, Peter has been walking with his head in the cloud. That feeling lasted for a week, before he’d been starting to ask questions on why he hasn’t heard anything from it again.

Tony said they’re still working on things. Dr. Cho said it was more complicated than they’d thought. Dr. Banner isn’t even there to look things up.

By the time a month passed, Peter began to wonder if they’d just forgotten about Harry.

When another two weeks passed, he realized something had to be done.

Peter figures that he’s smarter than average. He barely has to study for his grades to be perfect, is way ahead of everybody in his own class, and to make it better, now he can think a lot faster than any other person can due to his powers.

Peter knows what’s the smart thing to do; in a battle, when the enemy is too strong, he’ll always find a way around it. At school, whenever Flash is there again to punch him in the gut – though that hasn’t been happening lately – he’ll make the wise choice not to fight back and reveal his powers to his peers. He doesn’t drink (anymore, because last time had been a disaster), doesn’t smoke, nor does he do drugs.

Right now, though… this is the exact opposite of smart.

“Jesus, have they been feeding you at all?” Peter asks, a bit shocked at the skinny appearance of the person that was once his best friend. Harry’s permanent grin goes back up, bringing wrinkles in his scarred cheeks. He looks truly crazy, with that distant look in his eyes.

“Lots and lots of food, but the only think I’m craving is a certain kind of super spider,” Harry mutters at him, chuckling crazily afterwards. Peter takes a step back away from him again, figuring it’s best to keep his distance.

“How did this happen to you?” Peter wonders out loud, mourning for his friend. Even though he looks like he’s sitting there in front of him, everything inside of Peter knows that’s no longer Harry.

“Ah, you know, _life_ ,” Harry explains, pushing himself against the wall in an attempt to push himself up, but his feet slip away on the ground and he falls back on his ass. Immediately, he starts laughing, reminding Peter a little bit of ‘the Joker’ in those Batman movies

“Harry-“ Peter starts, but he sees the other boy shake his head.

“Oh Peter, Peter, Peter,” he sings. “You keep on trying and trying, but you just can’t accept the fact that _Harry_ is no longer here. It’s me now; better. Stronger. _Smarter_.”

“ _Mr. Parker, I must advice you to leave the room, now,”_ FRIDAY tries to get him out. Peter ignores her.

“Crazier,” he adds to Harry’s ever-growing list of qualities he seems to sum up. Harry then shrugs.

“Eh, yeah, that’s a given I suppose,” he admits as if it isn’t that big of a deal. Peter unknowingly takes a step forward. Harry’s eyes widen a bit at that, but he doesn’t mention it at all. “So what do I earn the pleasure of your visit? Gossip? Tears? Mutual plans of destroying the world and make it _our_ kingdom?”

“I don’t want to destroy the world; only protect it,” Peter counters, making Harry roll his eyes.

“Always so boring. Just like your new daddies, I suppose.”

Peter looks up in alarm then, eyes widening and mouth fallen open. Harry smirks again.

“Ah, you thought I wouldn’t know? My hearing is better than normal, and the nurses talk. Of course I know about everything.”

Peter tries to calm himself down by breathing through his nose, in and out, in, and out. While his heart seems to slow down a little bit, his head doesn’t seem to be splitting open from all the thoughts going through his mind; why does Harry seem so calm? Why is he looking like he already has his escape-plan ready? That he’s only waiting for the first opportunity?

“You know, I liked Gwen,” Harry suddenly says. “Or, you know, the _old_ Harry. He even thought about her, in _bad, dirty_ ways. Ways he wouldn’t share with his so-called best friend.”

Okay, now he’s just trying to bait him out. Peter should ignore him, so why is he already balling up his fists, ready to throw the first punch?

“I mean, to think about it; one of the hottest girls I’ve seen, if you look past the nerdy façade she went for. I can bet she was a goddess in the sack?”

“ _Mr. Parker, I must really advice you to leave, now,”_ FRIDAY cuts in.

Peter ignores them both.

“Or maybe she was the worst? Oh my God, was the sex lousy? Was she all moans but no action? Were the boobs fake? The bra filled with socks? Was she hairy all over? With all that blonde hair, the moustache isn’t always easy to fi-”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Peter calls out, taking an angry step forward towards Harry.

“ _Peter, don’t!”_

Before he can throw the first punch, Harry moves. Even without his arms, it seems like the Green Goblin is deadly. Having pretended to slip up when he tried to stand up, now Harry gets to his feet, jumps up, and throws his legs around Peter’s neck. He keeps him in a tight lock, slowly closing up Peter’s airways. One of Peter’s arms is also stuck, unable to get loose from Harry’s hold.

Peter desperately tries to remove his legs, but no matter how much he pulls or scratches, Harry doesn’t pull away. He yanks his head back, making Peter lose his ground and both of them fall down. Whatever air Peter had left, the moment he touches down it all slips away from him.

With his feet, Peter tries to struggle away from it. Damn it, how did Harry get so strong? What’s going on?

“H-h-harry…” Peter whispers out, realizing his vision start to turn a bit black. Damn it, he should have known that this wasn’t a good idea. His instincts _warned_ him that this was stupid. His mind reminded him of this as well. His freaking heart just needed to have closure with his best friend.

The best friend who is now about to kill him.

“Peter!”

Wait, somebody’s calling. Who is it? Peter opens his eyes, but he can’t see anything. His lungs are burning, mouth dry, fingers aching from all the struggling. Even his legs have stopped scrambling against the ground.

“Let go of him, you bastard!” another person shouts. It vaguely sounds like Tony, but Peter can’t be sure.

Then, all of the sudden, Peter can breathe again. The legs around his neck pull away, Peter’s arm is freed. The first thing he does is breathe as deeply as he can, accidentally breathing in a bit of his spit, thus making him cough it out with a hand on his chest and another one on the floor. Slowly, his eyes start to see things clearly again. The black disappears.

He can barely think anything before somebody grabs him and lifts him up from the ground. He wants to protest, to say that he can walk fine by himself, but the hold on him is stronger than he expects.

“Peter, are you alright?!” somebody – is that Steve? – asks. Peter coughs a bit more, squeezing his eyes shut before nodding. Then he tries again to break loose, feeling the arms around him loosen and then he’s out, falling forward until he hits the ground again. Immediately, he tries to stand up again stumbling a little bit more.

“Damnit!” Peter shouts angrily, smashing his fist against the wall and feeling it sting immediately. His sight is slowly getting better again, and that’s when he sees both Tony and Steve standing there, the first looking angry while the other looks scared.

“Peter, are you-?” Steve starts.

“-CRAZY?!” Tony interrupts, voice raised and face slowly turning red. “YOU GO RIGHT BACK TO THE LUNATIC THAT TRIED TO KILL YOU?!”

Peter just huffs out, waving off the comment.

“He’s my friend,” he whispers out, his voice not really up to be louder than that.

“No, he isn’t!” Tony hisses, now standing in front of him and holding on to his shoulders. Behind him, Steve tries to make him back off, but Tony doesn’t listen. “Whatever happened to Harry, he’s no longer inside of _this_ guy.”

“You don’t know that!” Peter shouts out, slapping the hands on his shoulders away angrily. His throat hurts from raising his voice. His eyes sting, though he’s sure that’s probably an after-effect from almost being choked to death by his former best friend. “It’s the reason he’s here, isn’t it? To get him BACK?!”

“It’s not that-“

“Easy?! IT CLEARLY ISN’T, SINCE YOU HAVEN’T EVEN MADE ANY PROGRESS WITH IT!”

“Peter, you better start dialing it down, or-“

“OR WHAT?! YOU’LL GROUND ME? NEWS FLASH, YOU MAY BE MY FATHER, BUT YOU’RE NOT MY DAD. YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”

Tony stays quiet, face falling and all color draining from his cheeks. His mouth has fallen open, and immediately, _immediately_ , Peter realizes he fucked up _again_.

“Oh, shit I didn’t mean-“ he starts, trying to struggle back, but Tony shakes his head. He takes a step backwards, a sudden numb look appearing in his expression. Peter swallows nervously, knowing he screwed up _big time_ now.

“But you’re right. I’ve never been there for you before,” Tony says lowly, a soft shiver in his voice. “Who am I to tell you what to do?” Behind Peter, Steve takes a deep breath, clearly preparing himself for the rest of their evening together.

“That’s not-“ Peter starts to counter, but Tony holds up his hand to shut him up. Then, without saying anything else, he turns around and leaves the hallway. Peter wants to hurry after him, but a strong hand holds him back in place. When Peter looks up, he sees Steve giving him a sad look.

“Just leave him be for now. We should get you home, son,” Steve tells him. Peter’s heart aches a bit at hearing that, suddenly feeling like he doesn’t deserve to be called ‘son’ by Steve. Without thinking about it, he wraps his arms around Steve’s torso, pulling him into a strong, needy hug. Tears appear in his eyes again, rolling down his cheeks while the sobs leave his mouth. Steve, meanwhile, stays quiet, silently rubbing Peter’s shoulders. Though the gesture is supposed to be comforting, Peter still feels pretty much like crap.

“What were you thinking, Peter? You scared me to death,” Steve whispers against his head, lips pressed into Peter’s hair. The teenager just tightens the hug.

“I-I- he was my b-best fr-friend,” Peter stutters out, stumbling over his words. “H-he’s one of the only p-people I’ve got left from w-when I was a k-kid. I don’t want t-to lose him, too.”

“Oh, Peter,” Steve calls out sadly. He pulls his head away a bit, making Peter look up at him. Then Steve puts both his hands against Peter’s cheeks. “I know exactly what you’re going through, and I promise you that we’re doing _everything_ we can to get him back.”

Peter nods carefully, not able to smile at all despite Steve doing it. Instead, he presses his face against Steve’s shoulder and the two just stand there for a little while.

Happy doesn’t drive Peter home this time. This time, Steve takes out his extra helmet and hands it to Peter. On the motorcycle, the two drive back to Queens. And as they near the house where Aunt May is waiting for him, the only thing currently stuck in his mind is the disappointment he’d seen in Tony’s eyes when he said what he said.

 

* * *

 

“Tony?”

No answer. A soft sigh in the background.

“Tony, please, I know you’re not sleeping.”

Still no answer. Tony’s not feeling like saying anything, anyway. There’s footsteps in the background, slowly nearing the bed.

“Tones?”

There’s movement on the mattress; Steve sat down on the bed. Then there’s a hand on Tony’s back, trying gently to shake him awake in case he would actually have been asleep. Tony still ignores it. Hell, Steve should be happy the first thing he did was actually go to _bed_ instead of getting a few strong drinks. Tony knows that, if he’d been going to the workshop, he might have thrown everything around in anger.

He startles a bit when the covers are suddenly pulled up. Then there’s a presence in the bed with him; Steve spooning up behind him, wrapping his arm over Tony’s waist and resting his head above the other man’s shoulder. It warms Tony up from inside, but he’s still not feeling like responding to it.

“Alright, if you won’t talk, would you please just listen?”

Tony sighs, but still doesn’t respond. He closes his eyes shortly, but immediately opens them again, thinking back of the look Peter had in his eyes when he lashed out at him.

God, Peter… Tony had been so scared when FRIDAY told them Peter had been heading towards the secluded ward they’ve put together for cases like Harry. It’d been Steve who realized he’d been gone longer than he should have – another piece of proof that Steve would be a much better parent to Peter than Tony is.

“Tony, sweetheart?”

Tony sighs, reaching for Steve’s hand and squeezing it.

“I’m listening,” Tony finally assures him. And so Steve starts talking, telling him about the day he figured out his best friend Bucky was still alive. He told him about what happened with him; what HYDRA turned him into. He told him about Natasha’s story when she’d been shot by the Winter Soldier, and how he’d almost killed Nick Fury in Steve’s own apartment.

Steve talks about how Bucky has been in the past; his best friend, almost like a brother. They’d been roommates for a while, until Steve started with art school and Bucky tried out for the army. He tells about the missions with the commando’s, and how Bucky had fallen from the moving train, making Steve think he’d died.

“That day on the helicarrier, Bucky’s only mission had been to kill me. And he nearly succeeded at it. Multiple gun wounds, fractured nose, black eyes… You saw me in the hospital when you brought me back the shield.”

Tony nods shortly, remembering indeed how he went to Washington after hearing what happened, but refusing to see Steve empty-handed so he went on a wide search for the shield. When he’d been in the hospital room at last, he’d been shocked at Steve’s state, never seen him so beaten up. That had also been the first time Tony met Sam Wilson, who had been waiting for Steve to wake up.

“Even though I was almost certain I was going to die at my best friend’s hand, I didn’t want to give up. I _knew_ Bucky was somewhere still inside of there, and I was ready to die to get that part of him back out.”

“Steve,” Tony starts, voice pained.

“He stopped; he remembered something. At least enough to pull me back out of the water after I fell. And that’s all the proof that I need to know that he’s still there, Tony. Somewhere, in this world, Bucky is wandering around, no longer the killing machine who only wants to finish his mission. He didn’t finish it, because he let me live.”

“What are you trying to tell me, Steve?” Tony asks, turning around to face Steve again. The other man gives him a light smile, kissing him quickly on the forehead before pulling back.

“Today, Peter was me, and Harry was Bucky. Somehow, in a way, the Goblin has taken over much like the Winter Soldier did with Buck. Just imagine, after losing so many people at such a young age, wouldn’t Peter want anything more than to get his best friend back?”

“So basically, I’m a horrible father because I didn’t do enough to fix his best friend?” Tony mutters out bitterly. Steve shakes his head.

“No, because in the end we both didn’t really know what exactly Harry Osborn _was_ to Peter. But now we do, and now we can, maybe, double our effort in trying to get him back, no?”

“I don’t know, maybe? I really need Bruce on this one because I just don’t think I can do it, Steve,” Tony counters. And it’s true; he might be a genius, but it takes someone with actual knowledge about biology to know what they’re supposed to be doing here. And, sure, Peter’s good at biology, but his judgement is clouded. He might be trying _too_ hard and could actually make it worse.

“For now, we’ll have to do it without Bruce, but we’ll get him back, for sure,” Steve assures him. “And even if it won’t work right away, Peter will still love you. He didn’t mean what he said, and you know that.”

“But what if he did?” Tony counters. Steve sighs, shuffling closer until Tony’s face is safely against Steve’s neck. “What if he doesn’t want me in his life?”

“He’s the one who searched you out, isn’t he?” Steve asks, putting a hand behind Tony’s head. “He went through all this trouble to find you. I’m sure he wants you in his life, Tones.”

Tony doesn’t answer, not really knowing what more he can say. It’s not too hard for people to change their minds about stuff like this. Especially when it comes to Tony; he’s more than a handful of trouble. He’s selfish, eccentric, and tends to fix his problems by waving money at it.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Tony starts, pulling his head back a bit to look at Steve again. The super soldier smiles. “You know that, right?”

Steve nods, leaning forward to steal a kiss.

“I know that. I’m glad to be here, too,” Steve returns.

 

* * *

 

  

Aunt May is surprised when Peter gets home, since he’s earlier than usual. Peter doesn’t want to explain what happened, so he just keeps it with ‘Tony wasn’t feeling too well,’ and leaves it at that. Aunt May doesn’t ask any questions, luckily.

After confirming to her question on whether or not he’s coming for dinner in twenty minutes, Peter hides away in his room. His eyes are still stinging, and his throat is still burning.

This is the third time already that the Goblin has gotten the better of him. This is not okay. Peter hurries towards the mirror to look at his neck, finding dark bruises where Harry’s fingers had been. Touching them hurts, so Peter stays away from it, grabbing a hoodie and putting it on. It hides the bruises enough for Aunt May not to notice.

This is not gonna do; if he wants to keep being Spider-Man, he’s got to learn to protect himself better. Sure, he’s been doing fine for the past year, but as it turns out he’s no match against Harry. And it’s not like the Goblin is particularly stronger than his previous adversaries, but it’s just because it’s Harry.

Peter is aware that he’s been pulling his punches each time when it comes to facing him – except that one time in the bell tower; back then it had been real. But too often does Peter let his guard down around Harry. Probably because a part of him still hopes that the old Harry will return to him, that he will recognize him and get back to his old self long enough for them to figure out how to help him.

The look in Tony’s eyes back in that hallway… It’ll probably haunt Peter for a few of his nightmares. Tony looked angry, yes. But more than that, he looked scared to death. Like he’d been certain that Peter would die like this. And had they been a little bit later, it would have been that way.

Oh, God, the things he said to Tony. That’s everything but alright. And he didn’t even mean it like that; he’d just been _so_ angry, and it’s his usual self-defense whenever anybody gets angry at him. He said mean things to Uncle Ben too, the day he died. Things he regrets to this day, but he can never take back. He figures he’s got that outburst-treat from Tony himself?

He’s got to make it right. He’d rather do it today, but the fact that Steve sent him back home means that he won’t be convincing Tony today. It’ll have to be tomorrow, Peter states.

A knock on the door makes him look up. He rubs his eyes dry, sniffs his nose and jumps up from the bed.

“Yeah?” he asks, wondering who it could be. Aunt May usually knocks and then enters the room, so it can’t be her. A small part wishes that it’s Tony, but he knows that’s just wishful thinking. Of course Tony won’t be there to pay him a small visit.

He’s surprised when he sees a mob of faded purple hair standing at his door. Yaël is there, looking with a frown, seeming a bit worried. She appears tired, and also hesitant, as if she’s not certain she should be here.

“Oh, eh, hi!” Peter calls out nervously. He hasn’t spoken to her since that one morning he refuses to think about. Not only is the idea of him sleeping with his friend unsettling, but also the thought that this girl is much older than him (she explained that, while she appears 23 years old, she’s actually over a hundred already).

“You’ve been crying,” she states dryly, closing the door behind her. Peter sniffs his nose again, and then puts his hands on his hips.

“No I haven’t?” he tries, but he knows it’s futile. Everybody and their mother would know that he’s been crying. The red eyes probably give it all away.

“Okay, what happened?” she starts.

“No-nothing, really. It’s just… I would have expected you here? Aren’t you, like, extremely mad at me or something?”

“And why would you think that I am?” Yaël asks, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. Peter then shrugs.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen the video Michelle sent me. Apparently somebody filmed it, but I haven’t really dared to look at it.”

Yaël then snorts, letting out a small chuckle when she hears it. When she holds out her hand, Peter fishes out his cellphone, looks up the conversation he’s had with Michelle, and hands the device to her. She then sits down next to him on the bed, turning the phone enough for both of them to be able to look at it.

“Then we’ll do it together; I don’t remember much of it, either,” she says with a smirk. They then press the play button, immediately hearing the noise of a shaky camera, surrounded by too many people talking together. In the background, there’s the clear sound of a DJ playing – was it Flash? Peter can’t really remember…

Then the camera points at two figures. There are voices raised, almost louder than all the others. It’s not immediately clear what they’re talking about. When Peter squints, he can see himself still wearing that uniform from when he was dancing. His face turns red immediately, and Yaël snorts again.

“Yeah, I had forgotten how pretty you looked,” she says dryly. Peter pokes her in the arm. Then they both shut up as the people around them start to quiet down, and their voices are much clearer to hear.

“- _been there for you, and I helped you with your crap about your DAMN FATHER! And then all of the sudden NOTHING! Couldn’t even leave a simple text to me or Wade, couldn’t you?!”_

_“I just forgot, okay? I’ve been busy with the internship!”_

_“Oh, BUSY WITH THE INTERNSHIP HUH? THE ONE YOU GOT BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO DO IT?!”_

_“I don’t really see what you’re getting on about?! It’s not like I haven’t asked you a few times to hang around, you know?!”_

Then, in the background, there’s a few people talking to each other.

“ _Oh my god, is that Parker? And who’s that girl? His girlfriend? – I don’t know. She looks way out of his league!”_

Peter’s cheeks redden again, and Yaël, too, seems to shuffle uncomfortably next to him. Yeah, that’s still going to be a bit of an issue…

“ _YOU KNOW WHY I DIDN’T HANG AROUND! I’M NOT LIKE YOU, I’M NOT… GOOD!”_

_“YOU COULD BE IF YOU AT LEAST TRIED A LITTLE BIT! WHAT DO YOU DO ALL THE TIME; JUST SIT AROUND AT HOME WATCHING YOUR TV SHOWS? DO YOU EVER JUST TRY TO CONTROL IT? PRACTICE?!”_

Oh, crap, they’ve really pulled away their filter right now! It’s just a miracle that not all of the school knows about Peter being Spider-Man.

_“IF YOU WOULD HAVE EVEN CARED A LITTLE BIT, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I’VE BEEN TRYING!”_

_“CLEARLY NOT ENOUGH, SINCE I DON’T SEE YOU IN THE STREETS HELPING KITTENS OUT OF TREES!”_

“Oh shit…” Peter mutters, realizing how horrible he’s been towards her…

“Yeah, damn,” Yaël mutters back. They don’t look away from the screen as they see themselves into a strong shouting match, who-ever was filming it extremely quiet in the background.

“ _HAD YOU NOT BEEN SO BUSY WITH YOUR DAMN FATHER YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHY!”_ the Yaël on the screen shouts, slurring over her words much like Peter does in the entire video. “ _I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING ABOUT WHERE I CAME FROM. DO YOU THINK THAT HAS BEEN EASY ON ME?”_

It goes on for a lot longer after that, the both of them just shouting their frustrations at each other; Peter mostly for the lack of understanding from his condition, in combination of his father’s. Yaël mostly from the lack of support she’s gotten from him – and Peter really had no idea she took the news of being extraterrestrial so badly. The way she spoke about it in the past always made it seem like she didn’t care that much.

The video takes a turn when suddenly somebody in the crowd shouts ‘JUST KISS ALREADY’, and the two suddenly fly towards each other, lips smashing in a strong, demanding kiss. Peter immediately turns off the screen and puts the device aside, trying not to think back too much about what happened there.

“Whoa, at least now we know how we ended up the way we did,” Yaël jokes awkwardly, and Peter lets out a small, uncomfortable chuckle.

“Well, I figure both of us pretty much got it off our chests back then. You got anything more to add to it?” Peter asks, wanting the conversation to stay away from that particular topic for now. He’s aware that they need to discuss that – because obviously there must be _some_ feelings from her side if they actually drunkenly slept together. In any way, Peter knows that he doesn’t particularly feel anything _romantic_ towards her. It had mostly been the side-effects of the meds, amplified by the alcohol… That combination really didn’t do anything good to him.

“Not really. I’m tired of being angry, you know,” Yaël sighs, clapping her hands together once and leaning her elbows on her legs. “I just- it’s not like I’ve got many friends to begin with. It would be stupid of me to push the ones I have away to begin with.”

“Same…” Peter mutters, but he figures that he’s got more friends than she does. Maybe he needs to introduce her to Ned one day. Though that could also lead to Ned meeting Wade, which could lead to Ned figuring out Peter is Spider-Man. Better not risk _that_ chance.

“Let’s just agree to be better friends to each other, huh?” she asks. Peter nods, holding out his hand towards her to shake, which she does. “Though I feel like we still need to talk about what happened afterwards…”

“Oh no,” Peter groans out, throwing himself back on his bed and hiding his eyes underneath his hands.

“I know, it sucks, but if there are some… unspoken feelings… we may need to just, you know, put it out there.”

Peter sits up again, holding up his hands in the air and shaking his head.

“I swear, I don’t have hidden feelings for you. I mean, sure, you look great and all; very exotic with that Latino vibe and then the hair. But to be honest, and I don’t mean to be rude, the combination of my meds and the alcohol…”

“Let me guess, it made you horny as fuck?” Yaël asks, unashamed. Peter feels his cheeks redden before he throws himself back down on the bed, repeating his position from earlier. Yaël just laughs it out, then. “Don’t worry, I don’t have a secret crush on you, Peter. My libido’s just… extremely high, I suppose.”

Peter pulls one hand away from his eye, looking back at the girl in front of him.

“You one of those one-night-stand-girls, then? No strings attached?”

Yaël shrugs.

“Eh, pretty much. There was somebody, but he only just left again, though I don’t know where,” she, too, lies down on the bed, her back resting on Peter’s lower legs. “He was a cool dude. Didn’t speak much, either.”

“Whoa, how did you stumble upon him?” Peter asks curiously. Yaël shrugs.

“A bar; he needed distraction, I needed distraction. It was a win-win, I suppose.” Then, after that, it’s quiet. Peter listens to their breathing, trying to figure out if they’re in sync, but realizing that her breathing is faster than his own. Then he focuses upon his heartbeat. If it’s really quiet, he can try and listen to hers, as well.

Though before he can hear it, she starts talking again.

“What were you crying for before I came in?” she asks. Peter bites his lip, not really wanting to think back of what happened earlier today.

“I, uh… I said something I shouldn’t have said to Tony, and he took it badly,” Peter says quietly. With a nod, he knows that she will listen to him. So, without any hesitation, he starts talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need to clarify a few things:  
> \- Of course, FRIDAY doesn't want Peter to enter the room. She cares for him and doesn't want to see him hurt. Sadly, it's a small flaw in her programming that causes for her to be unable to ignore a direct command from any Stark. If Peter tells her to open the door, she might try reasoning but eventually has to open the door. Clearly, soon enough Tony will find a flaw in this way of thinking and he'll make the necessary adjustments.   
> \- Obviously Harry and Bucky aren't at all in the same situation. Bucky has been brainwashed and forced to kill for YEARS, and Harry caused his own doom. On the other hand, our vision of Harry's story is that he's a victim, too. A victim of a disease he received from his father, a disease that eats at his brain and drives him crazy. His biology has failed him, and he tries whatever he can to survive, only to have that blow up in his face as well. Where, then, was Peter when that happened? Nobody really seemed to be doing the effort of helping Harry, after all... So, no, when Steve compares his situation with Bucky with Peter and Harry, it isn't a COMPLETE comparison. It's just to help Tony understand how Steve felt during it all, and how he suspects Peter is feeling with his crap. Of course, the situations aren't the same. Peter and Harry are too young to already have such a long history of brainwashing.   
> \- Peter has been traumatized. After Gwen's death he lost close to everybody he loved except for May, and that even at just a young age (some would think that would make a kid grow up faster, but that's just not always the case). It's also why he always calls him 'The Goblin' instead of Harry, because he knows that's not his friend, and that he's somewhere in there behind the evil persona. Peter's a kid who can't think rationally anymore. If it isn't panic attacks, it's the strong urge to make things right again; his goal is to get Harry back. Harry Osborn, one little remaining thing of Peter's past before (most of) the crap happens. (small spoiler for a few chapters later in the story: Harry's been there when Peter's parents died, he's been his friend when nobody else would. Then he was sent away, and Peter was left alone.)   
> If Peter can get a chance to make things right again with his former best friend, you bet he's going to follow that chance, no matter how stupid the idea is. Because that's the point; he can't think about this rationally. 
> 
> We do our best at capturing the characters as accurately as possible, but it's not easy when you're character is two characters at once. No character is flawless, less of all Peter Parker or Tony Stark, who this story is about after all. We write, and hope you like it. If not, that's okay, thanks for trying anyway. But to those who DO like the story, we thank you so, so, so much for inspiring us to write more and more every day. Each comment, each Kudo, subscription or bookmark means so much, so thank you, thank you, thank you <3 <3


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few things about last chapter that we feel like clarifying. Caspinn and I weren't really feeling our best about it, and we decided to just explain it. In case you want to read it, it's in the end notes of the previous chapter. Also, the story now has a banner! Check it out on the first chapter ^^  
> Other than that, I'm ready to give you the next update.   
> Warnings this time:  
> \- Very Protective (Aunty) Nat  
> \- Time jump of a few weeks  
> \- Vaguely written sexual content  
> \- Civil War has begun

 

The next time Peter arrives at the workshop, Tony isn’t there.

For the whole night, Peter has been thinking over in his head how he’s going to apologize; the talk with Yaël helped a bit on that part (though he really didn’t need her reminder that he really _fucked up_ this time, because what he said really wasn’t cool and whatever else she said…).

Formulating a speech and having prepared himself for it all day at school, Peter thought he came to the Compound prepared, only to see that Tony _isn’t_ there.

When he tries to confront _anybody_ about it, he quickly realizes that _nobody’s_ there. There are no scientists, no cleaning crew. Even though the quinjet is still outside, there’s no Avenger to be seen. All his senses tell him that this is not okay, and that there’s something wrong, but on the other hand; this is the Avengers he’s talking about. Surely, nothing happened.

“FRIDAY? Where is everybody?” Peter asks.

“ _Mr. Stark has instructed everybody to work double as hard to find a way to help Master Osborn. The scientists are in the other block.”_

“And the Avengers?” Peter asks.

“ _In a training exercise,”_ FRIDAY answers at the same time that Peter feels a cold chill going through him. Immediately, he jumps to the side, only barely missing an arrow that lands on the desk. When he walks forward to pick it up, it sticks on the table.

Okay, at least they’re not lethal, Peter thinks to himself. He looks up, trying to find the source of the arrow but not seeing Clint anywhere near. Of course, the guy is a master spy; he can hide himself just about everywhere.

But… if they’re in a training exercise, and he’s the prey, that means that he’s got to be careful with his reflexes if he doesn’t want to raise any attention.

“And why exactly am I being shot at?” Peter asks, a little bit annoyed about it. As if his mind isn’t full enough, already.

“ _It’s part of your training exercise,”_ FRIDAY answers. “ _As instructed by Mrs. Romanoff.”_

“Of course,” Peter hisses bitterly. He wonders who else is really involved. He doubts they’re going to get Iron Man or War Machine into this, but there are still other ways for them to sneak up on them. After all, Rhodey is still a skilled soldier, and Tony has his mind.

Another chill passes over him. Peter drops down to the ground and rolls to the side, only realizing a bit too late that he’s showing too much skill here. In an attempt to draw it back a little bit, he purposely stumbles himself against the desk, earning him a headache. Then, something smashes against his forehead, sticking on it like a sucker. When Peter tries to pull it off, he finds that it’s, indeed, a sucker.

“Oh hell no,” Peter mutters, trying to scramble upright, but stumbling against a hard, unmoving body. Turning around, he finds none other than Steve standing there, grinning down at him, holding the gun in his hand.

The gun that must have just planted the sucker on Peter’s face.

“You better watch your language, son,” Steve says, pointing the gun against. Peter lets out a small shout and starts running, getting himself away from the ‘danger’. Steve just laughs before he goes in pursuit.

Peter’s senses are tingling almost non-stop. Just when he’s lost Steve behind him, Vision randomly appears from through the wall, pointing his own gun towards Peter, who shrieks and only barely manages to avoid it.

More often than not he’s hit, but he doesn’t let it stop him. Somewhere during the whole exercise, he even started to have fun in it, finding Wanda and easily convincing her to team up on this to get them back.

After ambushing Sam, who has been creeping his way through the hallways, Peter gets a gun of his own. With the compound darkened, and all the rooms evacuated, it’s easy to imagine like he’s in the middle of a video game. Peter can’t even remember ever having this much fun, especially when he gets to shoot something straight in Clint’s face.

Natasha, though, is on a whole different level. Since the beginning, he hasn’t managed to even spot her a little bit; it’s as if she’s not here at all, though Peter’s sure he’s heard her laugh once or twice right after he gets hit. In agreement with Wanda, he’s made it his personal mission to get her, one way or another.

“Wanda, you got any idea where she’s hiding?” Peter asks in a whisper, knowing that she’ll hear him. She’s given him a com-link after they’ve decided to partner up, so they communicate on their own channel.

“ _I don’t know, she’s really sneaking around,”_ Wanda mutters into his ear, and Peter hums out in understanding. He should have known that finding the ultimate super-spy will be the most difficult task there is.

Another chill passes through him, but being on edge almost constantly it’s pretty much exhausted. With barely a millisecond’s notice, Peter is pushed against the wall, staring straight into an angry Black Widow’s face, the gun pressed against his neck as she holds him skillfully.

“You’ve just died, Parker,” she whispers to him, pulling the trigger and getting the sucker planted on his skin. Holding on to him for just a little while longer, Natasha takes a few deep breaths, but eventually she does pull away. “Alright, exercise is over.”

The lights turn back on. The Avengers, one by one, start joining up in the hallway, surrounding them. They’re all laughing, looking happy and joking around. Peter feels the joy coming out of them, and is glad that he got to be a part of it.

Of course, that doesn’t last long.

“You guys know this was a gigantic failure, right?” Natasha asks, putting her hands on her hips. Everybody startles upon her reaction, surprised at the sudden outburst coming from the normally calm Natasha Romanoff.

“C’mon Nat, we had fun, didn’t we?” Clint asks, but he shuts up when he gets a deadly glare from her.

“The _instructions_ were to give Peter a _training exercise_. You’ve all made a game of it.”

“And he kicked our asses, in case you hadn’t noticed?” Rhodey counters.

“You weren’t taking this seriously!”

“Natasha, why are you angry?” Steve asks carefully, holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture. Natasha glares at the captain, and Peter feels scared in his place. Standing next to Wanda, he can feel her tension even from here.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, but Peter has already almost been killed _three times_ by the Goblin. Our point to this mission was to start giving him the first feel of self-defense.” At that, she points at Peter, who feels his mouth drop open. He wants to say something in return, but after Wanda puts her hand on his wrist, he stops himself from speaking up.

Natasha then turns back to Steve, glaring back at him.

“I thought you of all people would have taken this more seriously, Steve.”

“I- I thought-“

“You thought you could make it more of a game for him? Right there, that was you thinking as a parent instead of a teacher,” Natasha counters. “That boy? He’s the closest thing I have to a nephew. And I’m going to do _everything_ in my power to make sure that he can keep himself safe from danger. Only now I see I’ll have to do that alone…”

With that, Natasha walks off, still seeming extremely pissed off about everything. Over her shoulder, she still shouts something, this time directed at Peter.

“Tomorrow, six p.m., _be here_!”

Then she’s gone, and the rest of the Avengers are left standing there with their mouths open. Nobody manages to speak. The silence is a bit awkward, and is easily broken when the door behind Peter opens up, revealing Tony holding a tablet in his hands. When he looks up and sees everybody just standing there, he raises an eyebrow.

“What did I miss?” he asks.

 

* * *

 

 

“So she’s trying to make you into a murder-assassin, right?”

“I don’t-,” Peter starts. Tony holds up his hand to shut him up, and then points at a screwdriver. Peter hands it to him.

After stumbling in to the Avengers, Peter quickly hurried after Tony back into the workshop. From then on, Tony has been asking questions about what exactly just happened while he was gone. Peter notices immediately he seems to avoid the subject of what Peter said yesterday, and the teenager isn’t sure how to feel about that.

On one hand, he feels like it’s an easy way out; they can forget about it and move on with their lives. On the other hand, he knows it’s bothering Tony just as much as it’s bothering him. He doesn’t want to keep this feeling between them.

He needs to talk about it.

“I can get why she would want to do it. It would bring me some peace of mind, as well,” Tony admits while focusing on the computer in front of him. If Peter can see it right, he’s making some adjustments on FRIDAY’s code, which is not to be taken lightly. He suspects it has something to do with what happened yesterday.  “You might not realize it yet, but the Avengers really seem to have adopted you into their weird family.”

“I’ve noticed,” Peter mutters, thinking back of how Natasha practically addressed him as her nephew. It’s weird, to suddenly have so many people caring about him. “I don’t mind it, though.”

Tony flashes a light smile before showing a neutral face once again. He continues typing things down, humming a bit to himself and then knocking on the desk.

“You here FRI?” he asks.

“ _Always, sir,”_ she answers.

“Okay, make me a coffee,” he orders.

“ _Make it yourself,”_ is what comes next. Peter snorts in a result and Tony sighs.

“Yeah, I’m probably going to regret this one day. FRIDAY, you’re free from my irresistible charm now.”

“ _I am very happy to hear that, sir. I can’t wait to stop people from entering forbidden rooms now.”_  Peter looks away in embarrassment. There’s no reaction from Tony who is closing down his programming and leans back in his chair, grabbing his cup of coffee which surely has gotten cold now. He takes one sip, then stops and glares at his cup before putting it down again.

Peter sighs. Okay, he needs to speak up.

“Uh, you know… about yesterday?” Peter starts, but Tony shakes his head quickly.

“We don’t need to bring that up. Bygones and all,” the engineer mutters back. Peter frowns, taken aback by the answer. Of course, he knows Tony Stark well enough now to know that the man avoids conversations like these like it’s an infectious disease.

“But there are some things I do want to say!” Peter counters, losing control of his voice, which is getting louder all of the sudden. “And don’t tell me it’s all in the past, because it’s not! It wasn’t cool what I said, and for everything in the world I wish that I hadn’t said it!”

“Yet you still did,” Tony answers without looking up, though he’s dropped the screwdriver and the circuit board. “And you were right; I’m not the right person to start telling you what to do. I don’t have that right.”

“But I want you to have that,” Peter returns, eyes stinging again. He tries really hard to keep himself from crying, feeling like he’s been doing that enough, lately. “I’ve talked it over with a friend and Aunt May yesterday during dinner. She’s okay with it.”

“Okay with what?” Tony asks, frowning a bit in confusion.

“With you, being my legal dad?” Peter clarifies. Indeed, he’s been over this with Aunt May and Yaël. It was the latter who came up with the initial idea, but Peter wanted to go over this with his Aunt before he would even bring it up to Tony. Knowing that this is a pretty big deal, the conversation had been a long one; but this is something that _has_ been on Peter’s mind for a little while.

“Ex- excuse me?” Tony asks, now finally turning around to look at Peter, though the expression he’s showing is clearly one of shock and surprise.

“I just… it’s not really ‘adopting’ since I _am_ your biological son. But… I want it to be on the papers; to be your _legal_ son.”

“I-“ Tony starts, but the words seem to come short. Having brought Tony speechless, Peter feels at least a little sense of pride inside of him. That pride is quickly replaced by warmth when he suddenly feels himself being pulled into a strong hug by the man in front of him.

Hearing Tony Stark cry from happiness is not something Peter would have ever expected to happen, yet it does. Peter smiles.

However much he screwed up last night, somehow, he seems to have made it right again.

 

* * *

 

“So tell me, Peter. How has it been lately? It’s been a little while?”

“Oh, things have been going good,” Peter answers, with his fingers crossed together. He smiles, really feeling it now. Dr. Thatch gives him a long look, but she looks content, as well. “So, I’ve finished my year, I passed?”

“Good, good! I knew you could do it,” Dr. Thatch answers.

“Uh, then the Avengers moved out on other missions to try and catch that bad guy, but they’ve failed at it each time,” Peter continues. “Natasha still seems to make it her mission to train me every two days.”

Dr. Thatch nods. What Peter isn’t telling her is that it’s been hard at first, training. Mostly because he has to hold back his strength all the time, not wanting to appear _too_ skilled. Now, though, he can let loose at least a little bit, making her think that he’s just a fast learner.

“How about that thing with your father? Is there any news on that?”

Peter nods, smiling.

“Yes, the lawyers finished up the paperwork only yesterday. I’m now officially Tony Stark’s son,” he answers.

“And are you taking his last name?” Dr. Thatch asks. Peter shakes his head.

“No, we decided not to do that yet. At least not until I’ve graduated, though we’re going to be thinking about that again afterwards.”

Dr. Thatch nods, writing something down in her notebook.

“Is there any news on your friend, Harry?”

“They’re working on curing him, but it’s difficult. They have a few promising possible but experimental treatments, but we don’t know anything until we can try them out. For now, I’m not allowed to see him so they let me watch some of his progress in Steve’s office.”

“And that friend of yours? You said she’s been living with the Avengers now? How’s that working out?”

Peter thinks back on Yaël, the day that Wade brought her to the compound, appearing broken and lost. As he explained it, Wade accidentally blew her place up, throwing the girl out of the building due to the explosion. She hadn’t been found until late in the evening the day afterwards, and she’s been living at the compound ever since.

“Yeah, uh, she was doing fine last time I checked. Getting some chances at training, which she really needed,” Peter answers.

“And your father?”

“He, uh… he moved back to the tower. Transported all of his stuff from the workshop as well. He’s not really her biggest fan.”

“And you still have no idea why that is?” Peter shakes his head.

“He’s quiet about that,” he answers truthfully. “But at least he still allows me to work with him. It isn’t an internship anymore, since I’m no longer graded about this. It’s more of a little job, I suppose? I get paid for tinkering around, at least.”

“And that money?”

“Saving it up now. Aunt May and Dad now keep me from helping out with the bills. Between the two of them, they’ve got everything covered. He even offered her to move into the tower, but Aunt May doesn’t really seem interested in that.”

“So everything is fine in the family?” Dr. Thatch asks. Peter then shrugs.

“Well, uh… it’s mostly fine, I guess? It’s mostly that the Avengers are heading out again tomorrow in search of that guy, and Dad doesn’t really seem happy about it.”

“Because his partner is leaving again?” Dr. Thatch asks. Peter nods.

“Yeah… every time, Steve seems to stay away for longer periods. It really freaks Dad out because he’s grounded.”

Dr. Thatch nods before dropping her pencil down. She takes her glasses off, and leans forward a bit.

“You mentioned something about a presentation at MIT for your father?”

 

* * *

 

 

By the second of July, the Avengers head out again. This time, it’s to Lagos. Once again, Rhodey and Vision stay at home, though this time it’s mostly because Rhodey is joining Tony to the presentation, and Vision stays at the compound to guard the place (and keep an eye on Yaël, since everybody seems to be intent on making sure she doesn’t blow anything up). There’s radio silence from them, though neither Tony nor Peter can really think about it. The seventh is the day of the presentation. With Aunt May, Peter, Tony _and_ Rhodey joining them, it promises to be something great.

Of course, Peter should have known that Tony would have ulterior motives to bring Peter along with him. That much is clear when he gets the whole tour of the school, along with an elaborated explanation as to what exactly the students can do here. After being shown a few of the examples, Peter crosses his arms and turns to his father.

“I see what you’re doing,” Peter warns Tony, and the man frowns, feigning innocence.

“Doing what?” he asks.

“You’re trying to convince me to go to this school, aren’t you?”

“Uh,” is all Tony can answer, and that’s answer enough. Peter isn’t angry, though. He gives Tony a playful poke, but then allows him to finish the tour. Once it’s time for the presentation, they get to the auditorium and take place somewhere on the sides. Peter, sitting safely between Aunt May and another student – a girl with bright orange curls and freckles on her face – waits patiently for the lights to be shut off.

As it turns out, the secret project Tony has been working on is graced with the nickname of BARF, which, personally, Peter _wouldn’t_ change at all. He finds it pretty hilarious, despite the fact that this device could be able to help countless of people.

It _is_ pretty weird to watch a holographic illusion of his grandparents, seeing them saying goodbye to a barely older version of his own father. It all looks so unnaturally real that it almost freaks Peter out. He has no idea when Tony has even found the time to work on this in between the suit and all the drama.

But eventually, Tony finishes the speech, revealing that he’s funding all of the projects and making countless of students happy. Then, after a little while, Tony gets off the stage and instead, and Peter starts to get out of his seat to join him, only to remember that, to all of these people here, Peter is just Tony’s intern.

So he stays put, and when they _do_ meet up again afterwards, he and Rhodey notice _immediately_ that something isn’t right. Of course, it’s also not surprising that Tony would deny that when they’re asking for it.

They don’t press on it, and that evening, Peter and Aunt May head back home, while Tony excuses himself to do some ‘research’.

It’s almost three days later when Steve returns, though while they hoped _he_ could help cheer Tony up somehow, it’s clear that their mission didn’t go exactly as planned. With Rumlow finally out of the picture, Natasha explains to Peter that Wanda accidentally blew up a building, and many people died because of it.

When Peter tries to talk to Wanda about it, she asks him not to bring it up again. Instead, the two decide to watch a movie and get some distraction. It’s the next day that everybody _starts_ to go to shit.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony is on the phone with a certain Thaddeus Ross when Steve walks in. Of course, his first instinct is to hang up immediately and throw himself to Steve, but he knows better than that. This thing he’s discussing actually sounds pretty important, and though he’s not sure why Ross contacted _him_ about this, he knows that he needs to handle this sooner rather than later.

After returning from the presentation at MIT, Tony has done nothing other than research. With the picture the woman handed to him and nothing more than a name, he searched up everything there was to know about this Charles Spencer. Of course, whatever he found did nothing much to clear his conscience. In fact, it only worsened it. Something clearly that woman at the school seemed to have intended when she decided to confront him about it.

As Ross drones on more and more about something called ‘the accords’, Tony can’t do much more than agree, because the only words that stand out to him are ‘Avengers’, ‘damage’ and ‘put in check’. No matter how much it pains him to say it, but he can’t agree more.

The phone-call ends when they make an agreement for Ross to come by at the compound tomorrow around eleven, and then Tony hangs up the phone with a loud sigh. The first thing he does is rub his forehead, taking a few seconds to breathe.

Then he remembers that Steve came in, though when he looks up there’s no Steve to be seen. Of course, Tony knows about what happened in Lagos – the whole world knows by now. It’s bad press, but it’s also exactly what makes Tony’s point.

 

“Honey?” Tony asks.

“In the bedroom,” Steve shouts back. Tony stands up from the couch and stretches a bit. Then he walks towards the coffee machine, prepares two cups for the both of them, and then makes his way to the bedroom. There, he can see Steve with damp hair, seated on the side of the bed, dressed in a sleeping-shirt and his boxer shorts. Tony doesn’t say anything. Instead, he hands him his cup, and sits down next to him. Silently, he grabs his hand lifting it up towards his lips to give his fingers a soft kiss.

“So you’ve had a crap week,” Tony mutters. Steve just snorts ironically.

“To say the least…” he mutters back. Tony doesn’t respond, but puts his head on Steve’s shoulder. “Wanda’s been feeling horrible.”

“I don’t blame her,” Tony responds. It’s crappy, what happened. He can perfectly imagine she’s not feeling all that well for causing so much destruction. But on the other hand, he’s grateful that she rescued Steve when he was about to be blown up. And if that makes him the biggest hypocrite of them all, he doesn’t care.

“We were only trying to stop Rumlow, we didn't want anybody to get hurt because of it,” Steve continues. He sighs and shakes his head, taking a swing from his coffee. Tony simply hums, copying Steve’s movement and bringing his cup towards his mouth.

“I know, Steve,” he answers. “Actually, I just had the secretary of state on the line about it.”

“What does he want?” Steve asks.

“He’ll explain it when he comes by tomorrow. Something about accords? He’ll be at the compound at eleven,” Tony answers, not trying to get too deep into this now. He really doesn’t think he can handle it, right now. “I’m glad you’re back, though.”

Steve huffs out a small breath that reveals to Tony he’s smiling. Quickly, Tony turns his head to give Steve a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m glad to be back,” he returns. “But can we just- can we not talk about this anymore? I don’t really want to-“

“It’s alright,” Tony assures him. “I’ll shut up about it.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

There’s a silence after that that goes on until long after they finish their coffee. Still, eventually Tony takes the cup from Steve’s hand, and puts it aside on the nightstand. When he turns back, Steve is already standing, turned towards Tony with that grateful look on his face.

“What?” Tony asks, and Steve smiles at him.

“I’m just- glad to have you here with me.”

Tony smiles back at him before closing the space between them by pressing their mouths together. It’s been a few days since they’ve last been able to do that, and every time they’re separated, it seems like their need to be closer gets stronger.

With their lips against each other, he can hear Steve muttering against his just as much as he can feel it.

“Hmmm-Tony-I want-“

“I know, honey.”

After that, their clothes are quickly removed. In just a matter of seconds, the two of them are lying down on the bed. Steve, on his back, keeps his hands on Tony’s face, while Tony, who’s leaning over Steve, travels his fingers over his sides.

Without the need to talk, the two work together. Tony, being more experienced, knows a little better what he’s doing so Steve lets him take the lead which is just fine by Tony. They huff, they groan, they sweat. When their bodies are joined together, a few moans are let out as well. With their mouths almost permanently pressed against each other, Tony can feel Steve’s hot breath against his face. Buried into him, Tony makes slow movements to let Steve adjust, enjoying the gasps and the groans he makes. Their fingers tangle together, Steve turns his head to the side, teeth biting his lower lip. Tony kisses his neck.

They grind, they turn over until Steve is leaning above Tony, they even let out a few curses. But as soon as they reach their peak, it’s Steve who speaks up. And as those words ring in Tony’s ear, all his trouble from earlier, though for just a little while, seems to disappear.

“I love you.”

And Tony, whose heart is still beating way too fast, and whose breath is still extremely low, can only smile in return before pressing his face against Steve’s chest and pulling the covers over them.

“I love you, too,” he responds.

And he means it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kind comments ^^ I'm here to break your hearts a little more, I'm sorry :'(
> 
> Warnings for this chapter:  
> \- Mild conversations from Civil War (not all entirely the same)  
> \- Minor character Death (though in my eyes it's still Major :( )  
> \- Relationship issues

The Avengers stay quiet while Ross starts talking about a heart-attack that he suffered five years ago.

Of course, the mood isn’t that great to begin with. With the destruction in Lagos still fresh on their minds, everybody inside of the compound ends up being a bit gloomy. Even with the people who haven’t been present for the battle, it seems to rub off on them.

Tony, sitting in the back since he’s no longer really an Avenger, keeps his eyes on everybody in the room. He notices Rhodey, who is facing Ross completely, with his left elbow leaning on the table as he listels intently. He’s always been good at these type of things; briefings and debriefings. He can keep concentrated on all the boring stuff that is usually said. Right now, he seems in his element, despite the uneasiness that is easily read off him.

In front of him sits Wanda; she’s still looking pale, sitting close to a man she’s never met in her life. Tony wonders if she knows the crap this man has pulled towards Bruce, but he figures she doesn’t. Nobody in this room really seems to be aware of it; Bruce never spoke of it, and Tony never mentioned it before. In truth, when he learned that the one and only Thunderbolt Ross ended up being Secretary of State, he’d been a bit surprised.

Wanda has her arms crossed, almost looking like she’s dreaming away. The same can’t be said from Vision next to her, who looks attentive as always; unmoving. Wearing civilian clothes, with his right hand flat on the table, he almost looks human. That, of course, aside of the fact that he’s not breathing nor really showing anything close to emotion. Tony decides not to give him too much thought, instead turning his gaze towards Sam Wilson, who is seated next to him.

Sam, who is a soldier much like Rhodey, seems just as interested about this like him. Tony can’t see his face, but the way he’s not fidgeting around is indication enough to Tony that he’s paying close attention. When Ross starts to talk about what the world owes to the Avengers, he shifts a bit in his seat, giving Steve a short glance before turning back to Ross. Clint, on the head of the table, seems about ready to fall asleep. Tony can’t see his face, but he’s pretty sure he’s already gone.

“You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives…,” Ross continues in his speech, and that’s when Tony sees Natasha move a little bit in her seat. She’s next to Rhodey, with her arms both underneath the table and her back straight, looking ever much like the ballerina she was trained to be in between learning to become an assassin. “But while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some that would prefer the word vigilanties.”

Ross is being theatrical, Tony notes. He leaves too long pauses in his words, giving all the members of the Avengers a deep, serious look that clearly indicates ‘I’m not messing around here’. That’s probably the reason why everybody is staying quiet, even though nobody in this room should even be scared of the man in front of him.

It’s Natasha who breaks the Avenger’s silence.

“What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” she asks. Even from how she speaks, Tony can hear the slight smile on her face. Rhodey lowers his head for a bit before stretching his neck. Vision lifts his hand up to his chin to rub his skin in a strangely human gesture.

“How about dangerous?” Ross counters. Wanda tilts her head to the side, Vision lowers his hand again. A sudden uncomfortable vibe goes through all of the Avengers at the mention of it, with the happenings in Lagos still too recent to really be discussed openly. And as Ross starts to go on about a group of enhanced people traveling everywhere while ignoring the rules of foreign borders, Steve finally starts moving. Tony sees him turning his head to the left to share a look with Sam. From the way his shoulders are tensed up, it’s clear that he’s feeling everything but comfortable. That tension doesn’t leave when Ross moves to the side to start up the screen behind him. Immediately, a map is shown.

Images of New York are shown; the Hulk causing rampage as he takes out a few chitauri. That’s when Rhodey looks away, turning his gaze to Natasha, who is still unmoving. After New York, there’s images of Washington, the helicariers. People drowning because of the flood created by the crashing ships. Now it’s Sam and Vision’s turn to look down. 

Next, there’s Sokovia; the city floating in the sky, buildings falling down. It’s a clear indication of Wanda’s strength to see her looking on as she sees her hometown being destroyed.

The thing that does her is Lagos. Even Tony looks away when Steve takes the wheel.

“Okay, that’s enough,” he warns Ross, who nods at his colleague. He starts talking again, explaining how the government no longer wants them to operate just like that. When the other man hands him a thick book, Tony figures that must be what these supposed ‘accords’ are all about. Handing the book towards Wanda, Ross calls them the ‘Sokovia Accords’, which, Tony thinks, is probably the crappiest name they could have chosen, but he doesn’t mention it at all.

Wanda doesn’t open the book, instead handing it to Rhodey who gestures at her to give it to him. Tony stays away, noticing how Steve stays unmoving, eyes pointed towards the book on the table like it’s going to attack them.

Natasha seems to be deep in thought as Ross explains what exactly the accords are about. With her hands now finally on the table, Tony can see she’s crossed her fingers, leaning forward on the table. Sam once again shifts uncomfortably.

Steve tries to make a point. Ross doesn’t take it, countering the statement with the question as to where Thor and Bruce are. No answer comes from the team; a heavy silence at the mention of their friends who are still missing since the Ultron disaster.

In three days, there’s a meeting in Vienna. Upon that fact, Steve finally turns towards Tony, who immediately lowers his gaze. He almost knows Steve isn’t happy with the sudden guest he brought along, but to Tony’s defense, he didn’t really know himself what this was about.

Not that he disagrees with it, though.

When he looks back up to meet Steve’s gaze, he gives him a pleading look. ‘Please don’t be mad at me,’ it says. ‘Don’t hold it against me.’

His heart breaks a little bit when Steve turns away again without response. As soon as Ross leaves with the warning that, if they don’t agree, they’ll retire, everybody gets up again, and Steve is the first one to leave the room, grabbing the book and taking it along with him.

As it turns out, ‘thinking it over’ is mostly just Rhodey and Sam arguing about it while Steve is on the couch, reading the accords in that super-speed tempo of his. And as the argument lasts for almost twenty minutes, Tony finds himself lying back on the couch with his hand covering his face.

This is agony. Tony rolls his eyes when Sam brings up another argument against it. Even Vision coming in between them with his ‘equation’ doesn’t seem to help the argument, instead making it even worse when Steve finally engages in it as well.

“Tony,” Natasha suddenly calls out to get his attention, and Tony pulls the hand away from his face, keeping his eyes on the calm super-assassin in front of him. “You’re being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal?”

As Tony opens up his mouth, it’s Steve who interrupts him.

“That’s because he’s already made up his mind,” he says, voice low and dry. Something pulls inside of Tony’s chest, but he decides to ignore it for now.

“Boy, you know me so well,” Tony snaps back, pushing himself off the couch with a grunt. “Actually I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache.”

He can only just see Natasha smirk at him when he walks towards the kitchenette to get himself a cup of coffee.

“That’s what’s going on here, honey; just pain and discomfort,” Tony adds in irritation. He can only hear Sam in the background mutter something about ‘guess how that happened’ towards Rhodey before there’s another snort. “Who’s putting coffee rounds into the disposal? Am I running a Bed & Breakfast for a Biker gang?”

Everybody stays quiet, obviously knowing not to make anymore smart remarks. That’s when Tony pulls up his phone, and brings up the research he did in the past couple of days since the MIT-presentation. Immediately, a picture of a laughing Charles Spencer comes up.

And as he tells them what he found, everybody stays quiet. The mention of Sokovia does that to them, more often than not. Grabbing a painkiller for his head and taking it with his coffee, Tony explains what his point of view is on this.

Of course, Steve doesn’t agree, twisting every word he says and countering them with his point of view. That’s pretty much the punchline of their relationship, isn’t it?

The argument is cut short, eventually, when both Steve and Tony’s phone start ringing. Having gotten a message from George Souza.

As it turns out, this is an argument they’ll need to finish on another day.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter knows he’s the one who asked to join them. He heard about the funeral, and immediately felt like he _has_ to be there as well. But no matter how many funerals he’s been to, it seems like nobody ever really gets used to it.

Traveling to London by a private plane, they arrive there only just in time for the funeral. They’re all immensely jetlagged, and nobody’s really ready to have a serious – or not-serious, for that matter – conversation. The first thing they do when they land is to take a cab, and head towards the church it’s happening.

Peter doesn’t ask questions when Steve doesn’t come to sit with them. The pair have had fights before. Small ones, but also big, nasty ones. In a way, it's actually surprising that they can stay together after all that shouting all the time, though Peter is glad they are, because despite that they're good for each other. Tony and Peter have taken place somewhere on the second row. On the first row, Peter can see Sam, with one empty seat next to him. He supposes that’s where Steve’ll be, though Peter has no idea where he is.

It’s clear, though, when he spots him carrying the coffin along with the other few family members. In the past two months, Peter has been introduced to Peggy’s children and grandchildren. He recognizes her son, Michael, along with her grandson George. Who-ever is walking on the other side, though, Peter can’t really see. But that doesn’t matter, because all he can seem to focus on is Steve, with red eyes looking like he’s trying everything he can to keep himself from crying.

And even though Peter had only met Peggy a few times, he can’t help but feel a few tears roll off his cheeks as well. Grabbing Tony’s hand, he tries to find comfort, only to realize that Tony is in need of it as well.

Steve sits down next to Sam on the front row. The priest starts talking, but all Peter can think about is his father next to him, at the verge of tears but unmoving to say the least. The thought came to him that it’s a bit of a dick move of Steve to sit away from him, but Peter quickly counters that thought; he’s heartbroken as well. Both are grieving about her passing. They’ll probably need a little bit of time.

After a speech from Peggy’s oldest son, granddaughter and then her grand-niece, everybody seems to be moving outside again to watch the burial. Once again, Steve and Sam stay away from them, and Peter stays close to Tony as they watch his Aunty Peg being buried under the ground next to her late husband.

It’s Sharon Carter, the grand-niece, who comes to them first. Not really knowing anything about Peter, she gives him a short nod before grabbing Tony and pulling him into a strong hug. Tony, who has been composed for the entire ceremony, ends up letting out a few tears against her shoulder as the emotions suddenly get the better of him.

“I’m sorry, Tony,” Sharon says, meaning it. “I know how much she meant to you.”

“Thank you, Sharon,” Tony mutters against her shoulder. Then, he pulls back, putting his hand on Peter’s shoulder while using the other one to rub the tears away from his face. “This, uh… this is my son, Peter.”

Sharon’s eyes widen in surprise before she turns to look at Peter with a mouth fallen open. As she inspects him, she seems to be seeing the similarities in his face. Then, without saying anything, she pulls Peter into her arms as well, hugging him strongly.

“I’m sorry to meet you like this, Peter,” she says quietly. Peter huffs out a short breath and nods at her as soon as she pulls away. “I’m Sharon, I’m sort of a niece of Tony’s.”

“Cousin,” Tony counters, just a little bit playfully. Sharon smirks at him, but only faintly.

“You’re old enough to be my uncle,” she counters, poking him in the shoulder. Then, looking over his shoulder, her face falls again. “I, uh… I didn’t know you would bring Captain Rogers?”

Tony turns, seeing Steve and Sam talking to George and Michael and shaking their hands. Peter sees immediately that the slight lowering of Tony’s shoulder comes undone the moment he sees his partner standing there, so close but still far away.

“Oh, uh, yes,” Tony mutters. It’s then that Peter realizes that Sharon doesn’t know about Steve and Tony. Peggy didn’t know, either. He wonders if _anybody_ knows, other than the Avengers?

And then he realizes why the two have taken separate places. Is it possible that… Steve… is ashamed to be seen with a man? Peter knows it’s been an issue a few months back when they first went to visit Peggy in the home.

“I’ll go talk to him. But I’m glad you came, Tony,” Sharon says, quickly giving Tony a kiss on the cheek before turning to Peter. “And we’ll talk again, soon. I want to know everything about you.”

After getting a kiss of his own, Sharon walks off towards where Steve and Sam are standing and Peter tries desperately to get a look of recognition from Steve. It’s hopeless, though, when Steve doesn’t even turn around to see him.

“Come on, Peter. I’ll introduce you to a few other members of the family.”

And Peter nods. He’s never against meeting new people Tony considers family.

Steve doesn’t stay for the reception afterwards. It’s only Peter and Tony who are there, though Peter is sure he saw a glimpse of Natasha somewhere. There’s a dinner, and lots of talk about good memories with Peggy. When asked about Peter, Tony explains to everybody how exactly Peter came back into his life, and everybody seems to be adoring him.

Peter doesn’t know why; he’s an outsider, nobody they know. How is it that they take him in so easily?

It’s George’s own son Freddy – a kid that’s maybe ten years old – who gives Peter enough explanation; he’s something new, a fresh face, new stories. And given that he’s Tony’s own flesh and blood, that makes him family, as well. Freddy seems to have taken an immediate liking to Peter and sticks to him almost the entire time. Despite the sad atmosphere that still seems to be taking in the room, the children find a good playmate in Peter, and they practically kidnap him for the upcoming two hours.

By the time evening falls, Tony announces that they’ll be leaving again. Peter says goodbye to everybody, promising to stay in touch with everybody and exchanging out phone numbers and Facebook profiles, until a cab arrives to drive them back to the airport, where Tony’s private jet is waiting for them. Steve and Sam aren’t there to meet up with them. Peter figures it’s useless to ask questions.

They don’t even get a day before Tony is called away again. Only barely caught up on sleep, he comes with the news that he’s called away to Berlin. When Peter asks what’s up, all Tony does it put up the TV where a news channel is showing a live feed of something happening in Vienna.

A bombing during a meeting that would discuss something called ‘the accords’. A camera shows images of the wreckage that was once the building. He can see another glimpse of Natasha in the back, talking to somebody in a suit, who turns out to be the crown prince of Wakanda.

Wow…

“Dad, what are the ‘accords’?” Peter asks, shouting it into the hallway. He knows Tony is still in his room, preparing a suitcase that he would bring along. That means that he won’t be back soon.

“I don’t really have time to explain. Ask FRIDAY and she’ll tell you everything,” Tony shouts back. Peter sighs and shuts the TV down again just as they were to announce the possible killer. He doesn’t really want to know; it’s not his battle.

“Is Steve there, then?” he tries then, not having mentioned the man since London. Tony stays quiet for a long time. “Dad?”

“I sure hope for him he’s not,” Tony answers, carrying his suitcase along with him. Peter didn’t expect him suddenly showing up in the room, so he startles a bit at how near he suddenly is. He quickly turns around in the couch to face Tony, seeing him run up to the kitchenette to get himself another cup of coffee. “Shit what I would do for a scotch.”

Oh, if Tony wants to drink, that means that he’s having a hard time again. Peter gets up from the couch and nears the man standing there. Tony doesn’t notice Peter’s moving, so when the teenager wraps his arms around him in a strong hug, he startles a little bit.

“He’ll be back, and you’ll be fine,” Peter assures him. Tony huffs out a small laugh.

“He loves me,” he mutters back. Peter’s eyes open for a second, but then he closes them again.

“Are you really surprised about that?” he asks. Tony sighs before turning around to look back at Peter. When the man puts his hands on Peter’s shoulder, he gives him a long stare.

“You promise you’ll be good, here? No forbidden drunken parties or anything?”

Peter smiles.

“I can’t make such promises,” he jokes, getting a hand through his hair in return. Then Tony pulls away, dragging his suitcase along and hurrying towards the elevator. With one last wave at Peter, he walks out of the penthouse. Peter thinks about going back to Queens then, instead, but then decides not to do it. Aunt May is working her night shifts anyway, so either way he’s home alone.

So instead he goes to sleep early. Can’t do anything wrong with that, right?

 

* * *

 

 

Tony thanks his photographic memory for knowing his way around in this place. After just one short tour from a guy called Everett Ross – no relation – he’s mostly just been left to do his business, which Tony is still unclear of what that exactly is supposed to be, as he’s waiting for his phone call he’s sure he’s about to get.

Being given an office of his own, Tony sits down at his desk and watches the security footages of Barnes being locked up in some sort of isolation chamber. In Tony’s experience, he knows that won’t really hold him if he _really_ wants to get out, but he’s not really feeling like starting to explain that crap to them. They wouldn’t understand, either way.

He’s been in Berlin for three days almost. When he arrived here, he learned about the troops that were sent to Bucharest. When he woke up the next morning, he heard that Rhodey got the pleasure of arresting not only Barnes, but also Wilson, the Prince of Wakanda _and_ Steve. And if that just doesn’t feel wrong in every possible way, Tony doesn’t really know…

His ear has been against a phone almost all day when Steve was brought in; mostly Tony talking to the guys on top to keep Steve and the others a clear name. He even dared to bring up Barnes, but he’s got no high hopes for his fate.  

When he wasn’t phoning with some important chief, he took a few minutes to call up Peter. It had been good to hear his voice, find something familiar in this group of people where he knows absolutely nobody. Sure, Natasha is here, but when have they ever been _friendly_ , really? The only sympathy she’s shown him is when he was just about to get dumped, giving him cryptic messages about the both of them being fools when it comes to love.

Back then, Tony had thought she meant Banner. Now, though, Tony isn’t so sure anymore that’s what she was on about.

But eventually, Peter had to hang up again, and Tony was pulled back into the world that is reality. With his phone ringing again, Tony sighs and picks up, eyes still planted on Barnes, who shows little to no resistance at all, it almost feels like all that containment is just overkill. He startles when Natasha is suddenly standing next to him, staring intensely at the screen.

“Jezus,” Tony mutters out. Before Natasha can respond, Tony picks up the phone. “Thaddy, what can I do for you, my man?”

A sigh comes from the other side of the line. Thaddeus Ross has since long given up on getting Tony not to call him that.

“ _I have news. The council has agreed to clear their names only in one condition,”_ Ross says. Tony rubs his forehead.

“Let me guess; you want them to sign?” he asks. Natasha doesn’t speak up, but she does put a hand on Tony’s shoulder in support, which is actually kind of strange but not entirely unwelcome. Tony tilts his head to the side almost out of reflex.

“ _If they do, no charges will be held against them, and they’ll even transport Barnes to a psychiatric center,”_ Ross gives him. Tony has to admit that it’s not too bad of a deal, but still…

“You know he'll probably see it as blackmail, right?” he asks. He’s knows because Steve isn't thinking clearly, obviously. He'll get defensive, and twist his words, and the actual point will be lost probably. He can already sense the argument coming up... 

“ _It’s all we can offer them,”_ Ross responds. Then he hangs up the phone, and Tony hears nothing more than a beeping sound. Eventually, he lowers the phone and lets out another long sigh. Natasha squeezes his shoulder in response.

“If we play our cards right, we’ll all get through this unscathed,” Natasha assures him. Tony nods, but only slightly.

“You came to the funeral, didn’t you?” Tony asks. “I saw you, despite the fact that you wanted to make us think you weren’t there.”

Natasha sighs.

“I felt like I needed to look after you two,” she admits, crossing her arms together. “I noticed a strong lack of _you_ by his side?”

Tony huffs out a breath. Yeah, that’s just putting it mildly. There’s so much he wants to tell her right now. _He asked me to stay away. He’s still ashamed of being with me. He loves me, but clearly not enough to be seen with me._

He doesn’t speak up, and that seems to be enough for Natasha to make her conclusion.

“Oh, Tony. I didn’t know it was still an issue?” she asks. She puts her hand back on his shoulder and pulls him close until he’s leaning against her side. The hug is weird and mostly one-sided, but it feels good in a way, too.

“I think it’ll always be an issue,” Tony admits sadly. “All I can do is give him space when we’re in public. But, Nat, if I didn’t have Peter with me at the funeral… I don’t know how I would have gotten through it.”

Natasha hums out as she passes her hand through Tony’s hair in a comforting way, reminding him a bit of how his mother used to try and make him feel better. It’s soothing, and even manages to give him a small smile, though on the inside he feels like he’s still just breaking apart.

“Listen to me, being sentimental. I've had fights with Steve before since we're together. What’s going on with me?” Tony asks in confusion, passing a hand over his eyes.

“Sometimes it helps to share with friends,” Natasha offers.

“Are we friends?” Tony asks, not ever having gotten the vibe from Romanoff that they are even supposed to be friendly to each other.

“I’d like to think we are, yes,” Natasha says, smiling at him before pulling away again. “If you’ll have me?”

Tony smiles back, and then nods at her.

“Alright,” he says. Then he stands up. “Alright, now I’ll have to face my- uh- Steve…”

“Your boyfriend?” Natasha offers. Tony gives her a glare.

“I hate that word,” he mutters, getting him a snort from Natasha.

“Tough, since that’s what you two are. It’s what happen when two men are in a relationship; they become _boyfriends_.”

“Urgh, shut up,” Tony groans, walking towards the door before stopping himself. Then he hurries back to his desk, grabbing the small, long box, and brings it with him as he exits the room. Natasha watches him as he disappears, but she doesn’t say anything more.

When he gets to the room where Steve is being held, he finds the man looking at the same images Tony had been looking at back at his desk. On the screen on the top left, Bucky is still seated in his new cage. Steve has his hands stuck in the pockets of his pants, probably trying to keep himself from starting to throw punches.

He turns around the moment he hears Tony arrive, face softening only a little bit but immediately coming back to its stoic expression.

“My _god_ , one wouldn’t say we’ve been dating for the past three and a half months by the look you’re giving me here,” Tony jokes, though it doesn’t help with the clenching inside of his heart. Has it only been three and a half? Tony would like to think they’re together for longer than that… Then he holds up the box. “Do you want to see something cool? I pulled it from dad’s archives a little while back.”

Steve sits down just as Tony opens up the box, showing the two historical pens Howard somehow got his hands on. The moment Tony had found it, he thought about showing it to Steve. Of course, with Steve mostly away on missions, Tony kind of forgot about it until he found it again right before he left.

“FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most _,”_ Tony explains, feeling slightly proud that he’s found this. Steve smiles only slightly when he looks at it, fingers obviously itching to touch it but holding himself back.

“Some would say it brought our country closer to war,” Steve states. Tony lets out a deep breath and looks at the ceiling. _Don’t say something smart. Don’t be a jackass_.

“Honey, if not for these, you wouldn’t be here,” Tony counters. “I’m trying to… what do you call it? That’s an olive branch. Is that what you call it?” He sits down on a chair, a good distance away from Steve, but still close enough to be able to touch him if he would just reach out. He forces a smile on his lips, but he doesn’t really mean it, feeling his chest ache from everywhere just by looking at Steve.

“Is Peter here? I can’t imagine he would have wanted to miss coming here?” Steve asks instead, guiding the conversation a whole other way.

“Peter’s… catching up sleep from England. And… I’m purposely keeping him away from this. It’ll be too much stress for him,” Tony explains, and Steve nods in understanding.

“It must have been hard on him, the funeral?” Steve asks then. Tony huffs out a breath, feeling like he’s about to just start bursting out in laughter.

“You would have known had you spoken to him,” Tony answers before he can think better of it. A small part of him tells him he should keep it down, not anger Steve further. But the other part wants to defend his son, make it clear to this idiot in front of him that Peter should come first for both of them. Especially if Steve wants to keep pretending to be like a second father to him.

“It wasn’t that easy, Tony,” Steve starts, but Tony shakes his head.

“No, you just didn’t want to be seen with me. And, okay, that hurts, but I can live with that for now. But _Peter_ shouldn’t have to suffer for _your_ complexes, Steve.”

“Tony, I just lost Peggy. I didn’t really think-“

“And _I_ just lost my Aunt. The only person that was still alive who used to look after me when no-one else would. The person I introduced Peter to, because I wanted them to bond. And only when he just got her, he lost her again.”

“We’ve all lost people,” Steve counters sadly. Tony then shakes his head and turns his gaze to the side, suddenly unable to look at Steve. That hypocrite.

“He’s seventeen. He shouldn’t have lost all the people he already has,” Tony answers.

Steve stays quiet. It’s probably the best decision he’s made in these past few days. 

“Sometimes I think we’re just doomed to be constantly misunderstanding each other,” Tony then admits. “You do something, I don’t agree. I do something, you don’t agree. It’s been like this for a few months now… What are we doing here, Steve?”

“It’s never supposed to be easy, Tony. These things require work,” Steve tries to defend their relationship. Tony just shakes his head.

“Work… yeah… You got any idea how long it’ll be until you actually want to be seen with me in public?”

“We go dancing?” Steve counters. Tony throws his hands in the air.

“Under disguises, Steve. Everything we do, it’s undercover. People don’t recognize us.”

“Tony, is this really the right time for this?”

And Tony then stops, standing back up to get as much distance between the two of them as he can. With a hand passing over his chin, he nods.

“I guess you’re right,” Tony admits. He picks up his jacket, suddenly feeling too naked, cold. He puts it on without looking at Steve.

“Tony, I didn’t mean to make things difficult. With Bucky…”

“I know, because you’re a very polite person,” Tony counters sarcastically. With his back still pointed towards Steve, he has no idea what his reaction to that is.

“If I see a situation pointed south… I can’t ignore it,” Steve then says. He’s still sitting on his chair, unmoved. “Sometimes I wish I could.”

Tony then finally turns around again, feeling like he’s glaring right at Steve, but not caring about it.

“No, you don’t,” he counters, knowing Steve better than that. And then, Steve has the nerves to actually _smirk_ , and Tony has to do everything in his power to keep his fists to himself.

“No, I don’t,” Steve admits. “Sometimes-“

“Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth,” Tony admits his frustration, actually meaning every word of it surprisingly enough. “But I don’t want to see you gone. We need you, Peter needs you. _I need you_. And so far, nothing’s happened that can’t be undone if you sign.”

Tony points at the official piece of paper that he kept on the table, knowing that either Steve hadn’t noticed it before, or just simply didn’t care about it. All he gets is a pensive thought from Steve, who then lowers his head.

“We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison.”

A small glimmer of hope goes through Tony when Steve picks up one of the pens. Finally, Steve stands up, making a few steps before turning back to Tony.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there would have to be safeguards,” he admits at last. Tony can feel his heart actually jump at that, and he can’t help his sudden enthusiasm. Maybe things don’t have to be so bad between them. Maybe they’ll actually see eye-to-eye.

“Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended,” Tony says hastily. “I’d file a motion to have you, Wilson and Wanda reinstated-“

“Wanda? What about Wanda?” Steve asks in confusion, and Tony thought Steve knew. But of course they haven’t been in contact, and all Tony has done is getting phone calls and answering them. Of course Steve doesn’t know about what instructions Tony got when it came to Wanda.

“She’s fine,” he quickly assures him. “She’s confined to the compound, currently. Vision and Peter are keeping her company.” And to be honest, that’s her best-case scenario in any way. It was either this, or having her in custody, which Tony surely wouldn’t have wanted for her.

“Oh, God, Tony! Every time!” Steve groans in frustration, walking away from Tony in annoyance. “Every time I think you see things the right way…”

“Honey, it’s a 100 acres with a lap pool, a screening room… There’s worse ways to protect people!” Tony counters immediately, not stopping his defensive tone.

“Protection? That’s how you see this?” Steve almost shouts at him. “This is protection? It’s internment, Tony!”

“And it’s not like _you_ ever bothered to make her a legal US citizen, Steve.”

“Oh, come on, Tony!”

“Not like it matters right now since they don’t want to grant visas to weapons of mass destruction.”

“She’s a kid!” Steve shouts.

“GIVE ME A BREAK!” Tony shouts even harder, startling even Steve. _Take deep breaths, ignore the stinging in your eyes. Don’t put your hand on your scar – Steve will notice immediately that you’re not fine. He doesn’t deserve to know_. “I’m doing what has to be done to stave off something worse.”

Because he’s heard what the people want. He knows the compromises he’s getting from them. Knows what would happen if he wouldn’t fight for his former team.

But Steve doesn’t buy it. “You keep telling yourself that,” he says, and he drops the pen back down, giving Tony another glare. “Hate to break up the set.”

“Did you mean it?” he then asks quietly right before Steve can walk away. The super soldier stops in his tracks before turning around, eyes full of confusion. “When you told me you love me. Did you mean it?”

And Tony can see immediately when Steve feels the same heartbreak Tony’s feeling right now. _Take that, you bastard._

“How can you even ask that?” Steve asks, voice breaking a bit.

“I ask because people who love each other _talk_ , yet all we seem to do lately is shout.”

Steve stays quiet when Tony gets up and closes up the space between them. When he’s standing right next to him, Tony takes Steve’s hand into his own.

“Why don’t you _talk_ to me, Steve?” he asks, not hiding the pain in his voice. He doesn’t care if others can see them, doesn’t care what they’d think. All that matters right now is Steve; making things right. _Working on it_ , like Steve said.

But Steve doesn’t answer, instead shakes his head and pulls away from Tony, leaving the room at last.

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have some good news: I'm almost finished writing the story. The chapter updates might go up from two chapters a week to maybe three or four!   
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- None, really  
> \- Civil War but more from Peter's POV

“Aaaaaaand score!”

Multiple groans come up in the room.

“That’s not fair; you’re cheating!” Yaël shouts, pointing her empty laser gun towards Vision, who is just smirking at everybody. Peter stays on the side, still a bit breathless from all the running around.

“Everybody here is using their power to win. I cannot really help it that I am _the best_ ,” Vision states, still grinning widely and, in just a millisecond he aims again, shooting another accurate shot to Yaël’s chest. The girl grunts and groans in frustration.

“Next time you’re not allowed to play,” she shouts back to him. The four of them then throw their guns on the ground as an indication that the game is officially over. With a nod to the left, Wanda indicates that they should get back to the living room. Peter agrees, following her out of the hallway.

“Have you heard from Stark?” Wanda asks the moment Peter catches up with her.

“Yeah, he, uh… I don’t know, he doesn’t seem to be doing so well,” Peter admits, thinking back of the last phone-call he’d just gotten only a few hours earlier. The way Tony looked… it seemed like he was about to lose it again, and Peter didn’t like it a single bit.

“How could you tell?”

Peter shrugs. He can’t really explain; it’s been like this since the funeral. Tony and Steve just… don’t seem to speak to each other anymore. Whatever happened, it almost feels like they’re getting close to just end it between them. Peter really thinks that’s the worst thing that could happen, given how different Tony has been with Steve around…

The moment the four of them sit down on the couch, with the remote to the tv in Yaël’s hands, everybody seems to be taking a moment to breathe. In the past few days, not much has happened inside of the compound. Yesterday, they’ve been swimming and played a large game of hide and seek. The day before that, they had a Tolkien-marathon with literally no break at all. They’ve been keeping themselves busy with fun activities to forget for a while that Wanda’s practically under house-arrest.

“So, uh, these accords. I heard you signed them, Vision?” Peter asks. Vision doesn’t move, keeping his eyes on the screen.

“Yes, it was the logical thing to do,” he responds. Then he turns his head, and shares another deep look with Wanda, something they’ve been doing for a while now. It freaks Peter out a little bit; what is happening between these two?

“How’s your view on them?” Wanda asks curiously, though Peter can sense the tension in her voice.

“Uh,” Peter gets out. He did his research on the accords the moment Tony left, and he _can_ understand why they would be necessary, given the accidents that have been happening in the past. But he knows Wanda doesn’t share that view. That’s why things have been so tense between her and Vision.

“These accords suck, is what they do,” Yaël mutters out bitterly.

“You don’t agree with them?” Vision asks, surprised. Yaël shrugs.

“I can understand why they’re here, but I think it would have been better if they hadn’t been made. There’s so much shit going on now, and we can’t even help out…”

“Wouldn’t you be a victim of them as well?” Wanda questions. Yaël shrugs.

“It’s not like I’m on the field, anyway… The only reason I wouldn’t sign is because Steve isn’t.”

 _As if, you wouldn’t sign because Tony did,_ Peter thinks bitterly to himself, but he doesn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t need another fight with her so soon after resolving the last one.

“You shouldn’t make a decision based on what others do,” Vision says, obviously not really approving of it.

“Look, it’s not like I’m part of the team anyway. I don’t have to sign _anything_. As far as these people are concerned, I don’t even exist.”

“And we’re both here illegally,” Wanda mutters out. Nobody responds to that, instead starting up the first Harry Potter movie.

But Peter can’t focus on the movie at all. All he can think about is Berlin, and what must be happening there. FRIDAY has been trying to keep him up to date, but nothing of what she tells him is giving him any confidence in what is happening.

The team is falling apart. Barnes has escaped, and Steve and Sam have disappeared along with him. Tony is there with Nat, trying to burn out their fires, while Rhodey is out in the sky in search of the three fugitives.

Damn… _fugitives_. How is it that they’ve come to this? Only two weeks ago, the three of them had been at the tower, Steve reading a book, Tony on his tablet, with Peter lying in between them, his head on Tony’s lap and his legs over Steve’s thighs. Working on his own stuff on his tablet, the three had spent their evening like this.

And here they are now; feeling like they’re just worlds apart.

Peter can’t stay here… not tonight at least. It feels like staying here is going to drive him nuts. So without warning, he stands up again.

“I’m, uh, I’m heading home,” he says.

“Oh, is there something wrong?” Yaël asks with a frown. Peter shakes his head.

“No, no I’m fine. It’s all just… Aunt May asked me to be home tonight,” he lies easily. It wouldn’t be fair to Wanda to say that it’s just driving him crazy to stay here when she can’t get out at all. They don’t need to know he’s going to spend his evening doing what he feels is the right thing to do; being Spider-Man.

For the past few days, he’s been on quite a roll. Now using the self-defense techniques Nat taught him, he finds that the hits he’s been getting are becoming less often. He moves more efficiently, ends up with less holes in his suit, and finds himself chasing crime after crime. Even now, he’s on a streak, stopping one crime after the other without taking a break. Yesterday he did ten in a row. Today, he’s already close to eight, and it’s not even ten in the evening. He’ll probably break his own record again.

“Hey Spider-Man,” suddenly comes out from a rooftop he only just passed. It’s only because of his enhanced hearing that he even heard it in the first place. Peter stops in his tracks, swinging himself back to the source of the voice.

“Hello?” he asks, seeing a dark figure standing there in the shadows. When he touches down on the roof, the figure takes a few steps forward, coming out of the dark. Peter’s heart skips a beat when he sees who it is, but he does his best to keep his happiness to himself.

“I’ve been searching for you, kind of been stalking you with my AI because you’re kind of hard to find.”

“Da- uh… Mr. Stark? I haven’t seen you in a while,” Peter says quickly, hating the fact that he’s back to ‘mr. Stark’ right now.

“Yeah, been busy,” Tony says, leaning against the wall. Peter frowns when he sees the massive black eye he’s sporting. Holy crap, he’s been busy, indeed!

“How did that happen?” Peter asks, pointing towards the bruise. Tony touches his eye for a second before pulling away.

“Ah, you know, brainwashed Russian assassins with metal arms,” he shrugs, like it’s not that big of a deal. There’s so much more Peter wants to ask; Is Steve okay? Are _they_ okay? Why hasn’t Peter heard of him in such a long time? Why, why, why?

But he keeps it all in.

“You know, I find it funny that I found you in Queens; by the way, it’s where FRIDAY found you on the camera’s the most frequently.”

“Why is it funny?” Peter asks. Tony smirks at him.

“Because I have a son who lives here, with his Aunt,” Tony says, looking a bit sad despite his smile. “I hoped I could see him tonight before I had to leave again, but he wasn’t home.”

“That’s too bad,” Peter returns, then remembering that he’s supposed to be shocked about that bit of revelation. “Wait, uh, you have a son?!”

Oh, that doesn’t sound convincing at all. Peter’s a horrible actor.

“Yeah, about your age, same height? I don’t know if you ever saw him before,” Tony says. “But I’m not really here to talk about him. I’ve got a proposition for you.”

“You do, huh?” Peter asks, crossing his arms. Tony smirks a bit at him, but his eyes look hollow. “Tell me about it, then?”

“That suit; you made it yourself, right?”

Peter looks down at the suit, thinking back of how he’s been postponing on making a new one. It’s falling apart, being sewn together too often and now ripping almost constantly. Now it looks fine, but he knows he’s got a rip on the back that he hasn’t gotten around to fixing, yet.

“Uh, yeah, uh, I did,” Peter answers. “It needs some work, but it’s been with me since the beginning.”

“It’s a onesie,” Tony states, and Peter’s face flushes. He’s glad Tony can’t see it.

“It’s _not!”_ he counters immediately. Tony just smirks and grabs Peter’s arm to take a good look at the web-shooters. Peter just hopes he doesn’t recognize the design from what Peter showed him at the interview. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“You designed all of this yourself, didn’t you?” Tony asks, walking towards the web against the wall and pulling on it. He smiles when he sees it won’t come off. “How did you do it? You messed around and accidentally got to it?”

“Uh, no, I designed it specifically?” Peter measures his answers carefully. Tony _really_ doesn’t need to know that both Peter Parker and Spider-Man are kind of good at this stuff. He doesn’t need the connection.

“And what do you get out of this? Saving people?”

“Wha-? How couldn’t I, though?”

Tony stays quiet, raising an eyebrow towards him. Peter tries not to flinch when he once again looks at the bruise on his eye.

“I’ve got a power, something I didn’t ask for, but got anyway. And I can use this power for good, to help people.”

Tony leans against he wall as he listens. Peter keeps on talking.

“If I wouldn’t use my powers, and people would end up hurt… what would that make of me?”

Tony then nods. “So you’re looking out for the little guy?” he asks. Peter frowns.

“What little guy?” he asks, but then he understands. He means the victims, the people that get to be in these crime-scenes and can’t do anything to protect themselves. “I mean, yeah?”

“Do you have people who know who you really are?” he asks, pushing the right button that lets out a web, and seeing it fly towards the wall. He lets out a small laugh.

“I, uh, I do?” Peter calls out, uncertainly, thinking back of his friends currently stuck in the Compound.

“You got a passport?” Tony continues. Peter frowns, thinking back of the passport Tony had gotten him and Aunt May to prepare for their holiday in a few weeks.

“Y-yes?”

“Ever been to Germany?”

Oh crap, what is this about, now? Tony has been in Berlin for the past few days… if he needs help… does that mean he’s in trouble?

“No?” he asks more than he states.

“Oh, you’ll love it,” Tony quickly assures him, pulling away from the wall and picking out his cellphone.

“I can’t go to Germany!” Peter quickly counters, though he knows he wants to. Only, as Peter Parker, rather than Spider-Man. He loves being Spider-Man, but not around Tony, because that means he has to hold himself back.

“Why?” Tony asks.

“Because… I got… homework,” Peter lies. Tony rolls his eyes.

“It’s summer break,” the engineer states, and Peter realizes his mistake immediately.

“Okay, I don’t have homework, but… I can’t just… leave?”

Yes, he can. He just has to tell Aunt May that he _is_ going to Berlin to see his dad, and that’s that. But it would be risky. She might ask Tony how Peter’s doing, they might realize that Peter _isn’t_ there. He could get in trouble.

Or he could tell Aunt May that he’s staying over at the compound for a few nights to spend with his friends. That could be believable?

“Kid, I don’t really want to ask this, but I _need_ your help, here.”

And that should be enough to convince Peter. Because _Tony Stark_ asking for help? That is a wonder on its own.

“Okay, I’ll come,” he says.

And after that making his arrangements, Peter leaves the country in Tony’s private plane, passport at the ready and suit safely tucked away in his bag. After having checked in at the airport, having taken all his documents through the official channels, he quickly hurries back into his suit before entering the plane. It’s how he agreed to do it with Tony, since they’re both all about keeping his identity – okay, no, Peter wanted to uphold it. Of course, Tony wouldn’t have minded to know who he really is.

But as soon as he sits down on his seat in the plane, before Tony can even speak, his phone goes off. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Could it be possible that Tony has ever heard his ringtone before? Peter hopes not.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry Mr. Stark. I’ll take that,” Peter excuses himself quickly, fishing his phone out of his bag and hurriedly. The man in front of him just looks at him in amusement. Seeing whose name is on the screen, he feels a sense of dread going through him. Adding another ‘sorry’ to his list of apologies, he presses on the ‘answer’ button, and holds the device to his ear. “Yeah?”

“ _Peter? Are you alright?”_ Yaël’s worried voice asks. Peter clears his throat, feeling suddenly extremely hot in here. Why is Tony looking at him with that smile on his face? Is he on to him?

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. What’s up?”

“ _Wanda’s gone,”_ Yaël says, and Peter’s mouth falls open.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?”

“ _I don’t know, I was in the shower, but when I came back there was a huge hole in the building. Vision’s really shaken, saying that Clint took her.”_

“What the hell? How can anybody get the better of him? Isn’t he, like, the most powerful of us all?”

“ _Do you really think Vision would fight back against Wanda?”_ Yaël deadpans. She’s got a point, of course. “ _Anyway, where are you?”_

“Uh, in an airplane, about to leave,” he offers as vaguely as he can. Tony just smirks across from him.

“ _Wait, are you going to Berlin?”_

“Yes, why?”

“ _You’re going to help Stark, aren’t you?_ ”

“He asked.”

“ _Are you even there as Peter?”_

“… no,” Peter admits. Yaël sighs.

“ _Holy crap, Peter, you’re in deep shit here,”_ she offers. Peter rolls his eyes and sighs as well.

“I need to hang up now. I’ll keep you posted. You stay out of trouble?”

“ _Look who’s talking,”_ she answers. Then she hangs up without saying anything else. Peter wonders if she’s angry for him heading off without a warning, but there’s nothing more to do about that. Quickly, he turns the phone on silent and puts it aside, turning back towards Tony and trying to appear like he’s not too embarrassed about what just happened.

“So, what is this special mission you need me for?”

Tony gives him one last long look before leaning forward.

“Alright,” he says, and then he starts explaining.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter is surprised at his own acting.

Having arrived at the hotel Happy drove him to, Peter asks for just a minute before dropping down on the bed. He’s feeling a strong urge to pull the mask off and take a deep breath, but the chances of Happy walking inside are too big, so he doesn’t.

He’s going to have to join Tony’s team to face Steve. Steve, Captain America, the man Peter has almost come to see as a father-figure in the past few weeks. This is just all kinds of fucked up. Is it him, or is it getting harder to breathe?

He doesn’t want to fight Steve. It feels all kinds of wrong, thinking that Tony would be ready to just face him like that, as if the past few months they’ve been spending together don’t mean anything anymore. Hadn’t they been happy? Do these accords really matter enough that they would give _this_ up?

Without thinking too much, Peter fishes out his phone again, pulling up a picture from a little while back. It’s one taken by Tony, who just had to capture the moment. Steve and Peter are outside with the other Avengers, who had decided to play a game of baseball. Peter, having admitted that he never played it before, got a small, quick lesson from Steve. The picture Tony took is from when Peter ran a homerun and was pulled up on Steve’s shoulder for his victory.

Thinking back of that day, Peter feels his chest tighten. 

He almost drops the phone down when it suddenly starts vibrating in his hands. An unknown number shows up on the screen, indicating an incoming call. His senses are giving him mixed signals here. One part tells him not to pick up at all. He has no idea who it is, and he might cause trouble in one way or another.

On the other hand, he really feels like he needs to pick up. His thumb is hovering above the green button, hesitating on pressing down. He really wants to know who’s calling.

Deciding to just do it, Peter presses his thumb against the screen, sliding the green button to the left. Then he pulls the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” he asks hesitantly.

“ _Peter? It’s me,”_ Steve Rogers says on the other side of the line. Once again, Peter almost drops the phone. He finally pulls the mask off and heads towards the bathroom. If Happy comes walking inside, he wouldn’t immediately catch him like this.

“Steve?! How- wha- where are you?!” Peter calls out, almost unable to contain his excitement. It’s the first time he’s speaking to the man since… well, a few days at least. He’d almost forgotten how it feels to talk to him. “Steve, what’s going on there?”

“ _I can’t really explain. I just… I wanted to talk for a bit… I don’t know how long it’ll be until we can speak again…”_

Peter feels as if the ground is disappearing from under him. He doesn’t know how long it’ll be? What is he planning?

But Peter knows what’s going on. Steve is a fugitive. If they catch him, he’ll be locked up and they won’t speak. If he escapes, he’ll be a wanted man, and they won’t be able to speak, either. In any way, the chances of them being in contact in the future are close to zero…

“Steve, please! Dad, he’s… he’s not doing good,” Peter begs of him. He knows _one_ way where this all can end at least slightly good. All it takes is _one_ signature…

“ _I know, Peter,”_ Steve says, voice obviously pained. “ _It’s mostly my fault, too. I’m sorry.”_

“Why would you say that?” Peter asks in confusion.

“ _It doesn’t matter. It’s nothing we can fix right now…”_ Steve answers. “ _Peter, I just want you to know- we haven’t known each other very long, but… you’re already like a son to me. So I need you to promise me to look after yourself when I’m gone, alright?”_

“Steve, no,” Peter gets in between, but Steve doesn’t seem done with talking.

“ _And, please, can you look out for Tony? Make sure he’ll stay with his head above the water? Takes his meds and continues to see Dr. Wynedell every week?”_

“Steve, stop talking like we’re never going to see each other again,” Peter adds. “Because we are, right? We’ll see each other again?”

Steve stays nothing; That should be indication enough.

“Kid?” Happy asks from inside the room. Peter startles. Not yet! Don’t force him to hang up, now!

“Uh, I’m in the bathroom!” Peter calls out to him.

“We need to leave!”

“I’m coming!” Then he pulls the phone back to his ear.

“ _I should hang up. I need to go.”_

“Please, don’t-“

“ _Bye, son. Take care of yourself.”_

And then there’s nothing but a dialing tone. A tear rolls down Peter’s cheek. Taking a deep breath, he puts the phone aside and pulls up his mask again. He almost expects Happy and him to leave the moment he walks out, but he doesn’t expect the confused look he’s getting from him.

“What the Hell are you wearing?” Happy asks. Peter looks down to his uniform.

“Uh, it’s my suit?” he asks in confusion, voice cracking from crying. Happy just frowns.

“Where’s the case?”

“Wha-what case?”

Happy rolls his eyes and walks back, reaching out to a door knob and heading into a room which Peter thought was just a closet. Gesturing him inside, Peter realizes it’s a whole other part of the room, almost three times the size of Peter’s own bedroom at the apartment.

“Wh- I thought this was a closet! This place is huge!”

“Get inside!”

Peter listens, following Happy through a small hallway that leads to an open space with large windows. In the middle there’s a table with a case resting on it. Peter wonders how he was supposed to find it on his own?

On top of it, there’s another note. Once again, written in a familiar handwriting, Peter feels himself smirk a little bit.

_A minor upgrade – TS._

The moment he presses a small button, the case opens up, suddenly revealing a whole new suit in bright red and blue.

“Whoa, oh my God!” Peter exclaims, recognizing the suit immediately. Not because he’s seen it before, but mostly because of a feeling. Peter hasn’t seen him working on a suit other than the one he’s been making together with Peter. He’d just expected it would have been for this Daredevil-guy. To see it suddenly in front of him, the final result of all the work they’ve put into it… It takes Peter’s breath away.

“Put it on,” Happy tells him, annoyed that it’s taking so long.

“Th-th- this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Peter can’t contain his enthusiasm. He’s literally ecstatic all of the sudden, a bit euphoric at the idea that the suit is supposed to be _his_.

“Let’s _go_!” Happy presses on, and Peter nods nervously again. Before he can ask anything else, Happy walks away again, leaving Peter to change.

He hurries out of his old suit without a second thought. He picks up the new one, feeling the familiar fabric underneath his fingers. His heart is beating faster, almost as if he’s just run a marathon. It’s only a few seconds before he’s pulling on the clothes, feeling it hang around him like a tent – much like it did back when Tony had him try it out.

Already knowing how much of the suit works, he doesn’t need much time to figure out what exactly he needs to do.

He can do this. His dad needs him. And even, just shortly, he’ll get to see Steve again.

 _Just pretend it’s a training exercise,_ he tells himself. _Nobody has to get hurt._

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently writing the last chapter, so I thought I could up the uploads! Here you go, another chapter just for you. We're slowly saying goodbye to Civil war; this is the last piece on it. Afterwards, it's a race to Homecoming, obviously with our own twist.   
> Also, I originally wrote nothing about the fight. In one part because I didn't want to write too many fight scenes (I'm not really THAT good at those), but in the other I thought; we all know what is going to happen. But I read in the comments that some of you were curious about the fight between Peter and Steve. I still didn't fully add it, but there are a few dialogues that I took out, a couple of references in the beginning of the chapter. It's mostly because I felt guilty for not adding it. I'm sorry if it's not exactly what you'd expected from the Leipzig-fight. 
> 
> Warnings:  
> \- Vaguely written violence?  
> \- Possible Partner abuse? (Tony sees it this way, at least)  
> \- We all know what happened to Rhodey. It happened here, too :'(   
> \- references to a past between Natasha and Barnes  
> \- Not a warning, just a little note: I already posted the next part in the series, that one being Natasha and Bucky's story. There you might read something about a trip to India in the prologue. I was a bit confused and thought I'd already uploaded the chapter. As it turns out, I haven't because we're not there yet! oops, apologies!

_"What should I do, Mr. Stark?"_

_"What we discussed, keep your distance!"_

_"But I can do more than that!"_ Tony never replied.

Peter’s lying on the ground  in the middle of the airport, his mask slightly lifted from his face so he can catch his breath. Things are crap. Shit. It’s all fucked up, and now here he is, a pulsing ache in his head and his whole body about ready for him to fall asleep.

 _"I wish he wouldn’t have involved you, Spider-Man_ ," Steve had said. Peter had snorted.

 _"I’m glad he did, because you two idiots really need to talk this out_."

 _"There’s no time for that_." The ‘fighting’ they’ve done could be closer to sparring, a normal training-session between the Avengers. Peter knows it was never Steve’s intention to have him smash his face against the pillar. The man even ran up to him to check if he was alright, feeling so guilty.

 _"Steve, please,"_ Peter had muttered out, not bothering to mask his voice any longer. Steve had stopped in his tracks for a moment, clearly thinking. After that, he disappeared anyway. And Peter got back to his feet, deciding to annoy Sam and Barnes for a moment. Then there was the giant dude, the Star Wars reference that came too close to revealing who he really is – especially to Tony. Ever since Rhodey’s drop and Tony’s angry shout, he’s been lying on his back, waiting for Happy to come and pick him up.

 _"You're done, okay?"_ Tony had said. Peter had objected.

_"But I can do more, I can still go!"_

_"I should never have pulled you into this, I'm sorry, kid."_

_"Mr. Stark!_  " He tried to stand up. He failed, instead dropping back down. 

Not that the battle was exhausting, he’s been through worse. This was merely a training exercise gone wrong. But psychologically, the idea that their own friends would turn so easily against them? For one moment Peter regrets coming here. Because, for everything in the world, he would rather have not seen this.

But eventually he’s picked up, and brought back to the hotel room. Where he takes a long shower and decides to nap.

 

* * *

 

 

Things have massively gone to shit, Tony thinks as he’s standing behind the glass that separates him and Rhodey, currently in the MRI machine. Vision is behind him, hovering, giving his apologies. But saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t help Tony here.

All he can feel is this guilt; he’s dealt with it before, but now that his actions have affected somebody close to him – someone who might as well have been his brother – he’s almost close to just ripping his hair out in anger.

There had been no pleasure in letting the cops take in the rest of Steve’s team. That’s not what Tony wanted, after all. This, right here… this is the team completely fallen apart. He only wanted them to stay together.

And Steve… Tony has no idea where Steve has gone. With Barnes, the two have taken _his_ quinjet and disappeared with it. And he knows he can track it down eventually, but in all honesty, Tony can’t bring himself to do that.

His phone rings. It’s Happy, asking if he should bring the kid back to the airport. Tony tells him that, yes, he should be getting home. He should never have been involved in this; he received some serious hits and seemed to limp a bit when he tried to walk. And the worst part is that Steve even _held back_ , meaning that, if he wanted, he could have just killed the boy.

Not that he would have; Steve’s adoration for the Spider-Man almost equals his love for Peter; he wants to look out for him and teach him stuff. Steve would never intentionally hurt the boy.

Eventually, Tony leaves the examination room. They’re going to do more tests, but Tony can’t help with them. He can’t do anything to help his friend for now. The only thing he can do is make a promise that he will do everything in his might to make Rhodey walk again.

A promise he intends to keep, no matter how much money it’ll cost him.

“How’s he doing?” Natasha asks. Tony turns his head to the side a little bit, seeing her familiar curls standing next to him. She looks extremely unbruised, and her hair seems perfectly neat as always. Tony feels a shiver going through him upon seeing her.

“He’s feeling fine, aside for the fact that he’s paralyzed from the waist down,” he says bitterly. Natasha sighs and nods.

“This got seriously out of hand,” she tells him sadly.

“You let them go,” Tony points out to her. Natasha doesn’t flinch at all at the response. “T’Challa told them what you did. They’ll come after you.”

“I did what I had to do,” she says, no regret in her voice. “We went this the wrong way. There are other ways we can fix this. ”

“Oh, so you’re suddenly on my side now again? Your switching is giving me a whiplash.”

“I know you’re hurt for what happened between you and Steve, so I’m not going to take this personally,” Natasha tells him, though the look in her eyes does indicate that he hurt her somehow. Whatever, like he could care any less. “I suppose I’ll go underground for now, then. But, Tony… do your research, please? Try and at least figure out if Steve and James are on to something here.”

“James? You mean Barnes?” Tony asks, but when he turns around again, Natasha is already a good distance away. Watching her go, Tony is reminded once more of how broken their little team is. He rubs his painful wrist, remembering FRIDAY warning him about the contusions he got in the fight. Somehow, the wrist hurts the most.

Besides, rubbing the wrist keeps him from rubbing his chest.

The doctors insist on examining him as well, and eventually they give him a mitella to support his arm, not move his shoulder too much. Apparently, he hurt it pretty much as well, though he can’t really feel it right now.

Trying to call up Peter leads him to voicemail. The phone is turned off. He’ll try again later. Peter needs to know that he’s alright. Surely, _some_ footage must have appeared on the news about their fight in the Leipzig airport.

There’s nothing from Steve. Of course, there isn’t.

Instead, all he gets is warning from FRIDAY, telling him that multiple things have come up. Viewing her findings on Barnes’ _real_ psychiatrist found dead in a hotel room, Tony suddenly understands that Steve _might_ have been right. Of course, his way of explaining it to him leaves much to be desired.

Coming to read up about a certain Helmut Zemo – another link to Sokovia, of course – Tony is already on the chopper that leads him to the Raft. He knows the Avengers are stuck in there – not his idea, more Ross’ – and he just needs a moment alone with one of them. He knows Clint is not going to talk – he’s too much of a child for that. Wanda… doubtful. Despite the fact that they manage to work together just fine, Wanda never really seemed to be trusting Tony at all. The shrinking dude, Tony simply doesn’t know. They’ve never introduced themselves to each other – more pressing matters at the time.

No, he knows that, if he wants to find anything, he needs to go to Wilson. And he knows just how he’s going to do that.

He’s not surprised that Ross refuses to listen to him when he came up with the facts. Ross doesn’t care about proving Barnes’ innocence. All he wants is him behind bars. Tony is not going to try to change his mind. He knows his facts, and knows, right now, what the right thing to do is.

And as long as Ross or any other of these guys don’t find out, there’s no harm in doing so. He’s good at doing things under the radar, after all.

Speaking to Wilson took less effort than he’d expected. The two of them respect each other, and they know where they stand. If Tony admits that he’s wrong, he knows that Sam will not take that lightly. Because Tony _never_ admits that he’s wrong.

“He’s going to Siberia to find the other Winter Soldiers,” Wilson says. Tony shivers, remembering how Steve vaguely mentioned something about more of them back in Leipzig. But they were a bit too pre-occupied to talk it out, of course.

“Barnes is with him, isn’t he?” Tony asks, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, but if they’re too late, they’ll be severely outnumbered,” Sam admits. “Tony, he’s been driving himself crazy these past few days. Even yesterday before… everything… that CIA agent, Carter… she kissed him, and all he did was cry. He actually scared her.”

“Hmm, my cousin kissed my man? That’s something to bring up during the next family dinner,” Tony mutters out. “He didn’t kiss her back, though, right?”

“Stark, is this really the right moment?”

“Of course it isn’t. I’ll just go help my… boyfriend… I suppose,” Tony says, uncertainly. Wilson just smirks at the word, but luckily doesn’t comment on it. By the time the audio is back on, Tony is already walking away.

Getting to his chopper, he’s followed by a suspicious looking Thaddeus Ross, who is doing the exact opposite of laughing.

“Stark! Did he give you anything on Rogers?” the man asks.

“Nope, told me to go to Hell, but I’m going to the compound instead. But you can call me any time; I’ll put you on hold, I like to watch the light blink.”

Giving Ross a playful smirk, he knows he’s gotten himself out of this one for now. Keeping eye-contact with the former General, Tony waits until the chopper is back into the rainy sky before relaxing completely. Pulling the mitella off, Tony counts down ten more seconds before taking a deep breath.

Without warning the pilot, he drops his finger down on the button, immediately feeling his latest suit surround him in his safe Iron Man cocoon. When he’s dropped into the air, he doesn’t feel cold. The drops don’t touch his skin, and his sight is not filled with little wet lines.

Instructing FRIDAY to get him to Siberia, Tony Stark flies himself over the ocean, knowing extremely well that, if he’s discovered, he might end up with his former teammates in one of these cells.

Of course, this is Steve, so there’s no really any question.

“FRIDAY, can you call Peter for me one last time?” Tony asks.

“ _Of course, sir,”_ the AI answers, and a picture of Peter comes up on the screen with ‘dialing’ written on top of it. It goes over for three more tones until, finally, somebody picks up.

“ _Hello?”_

“Peter? It’s me. How are you doing?”

“ _I’m, uh, I’m fine. How’s it going with you?”_ Peter asks, voice shaking a bit. Tony frowns. Is Peter running somewhere? He sounds like he’s just ran a marathon.

“I’m okay. Almost ready to come back home. Will you be at the tower when I get back?” Tony doesn’t really want to wait any longer to see him; but first he has to finish this thing for Steve. Of course, he can’t tell him that over the phone; he’s got no clue who might be listening in.

“ _Sure, I can be there. Will Steve be there, too?”_

Oh, Tony wishes he could say ‘yes’, but after Leipzig, the chances of Steve being allowed to come home are limited. He’s deliberately ran away from the law, meaning that he’s going to be searched everywhere. The moment they catch him, they’ll just put him in the Raft along with the others. Another shiver passes through Tony at the idea that they’re all stuck there.

That place was designed for people like Loki, or the Mandarin. The Avengers shouldn’t be in there…

“I can’t promise you that, son,” Tony admits. “I’m going to try and see what I can do, though.”

“ _Okay. Just… be safe, okay?”_

“Of course, Peter. I’ll see you soon.”

And then they hang up.

After a few hours, Tony finally arrives to the coordinates Wilson gave him. At first he doesn’t see much other than snow – luckily the suit has its own heating system, otherwise he’s seriously underdressed. Eventually, he spots the quinjet, and another vehicle close to what seems like an underground bunker. When he comes down next to the quinjet, he can see that the footprints aren’t that old – they’re still pretty deep, not yet covered by freshly fallen snow.

The door is open now. Steve or Barnes must have left it like that, not bothering to close it. It might be for the best, too, in case they need to make a quick exit.

There are minimal lights on. With the place having been abandoned for who knows how many years, it’s been pretty neglected when it comes to maintenance. There’s dust everywhere, and cobwebs in every corner on the ceiling. Tony tries his best to keep away from those.

Following the hallway – there’s not much else to go to – he comes to an elevator shaft. The elevator is going down; somebody’s in there. Tony opens up the doors and lets the suit bring him down. There’s a loud thud once he reaches down on the car.

Opening the latch on the ceiling, Tony drops himself into the elevator without bothering to lower the noise; at least that way Steve and Barnes are warned about his arrival. He doesn’t want to sneak up on them.

He’s not surprised when a large gun – is that one from Natasha’s collection? – is pointed at him. Barnes is standing on the stairs, Steve is still on the ground, keeping his shield in front of him. Tony can see him lower it the moment he sees him walking inside.

“You seem a little defensive?” Tony says, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Steve takes a few steps forward as well, keeping his shield in front of him. Tony is almost feeling insulted that Steve would think he would just attack him like that.

Of course, then he remembers Leipzig, and he knows Steve’s reaction is there for a reason.

“It’s been a long day,” Steve says, and lord, how does hearing his voice melt Tony from the inside. It hasn’t been that long, but Tony still feels like he hasn’t heard it in over ten years or so. He’s so close to just pulling Steve into a strong hug, but he’s too aware of Barnes pointing his gun at his face.

“At ease, soldier, I’m not currently after you,” Tony tells the man behind Steve, but Bucky doesn’t relax.

“Then why are you here?” Steve asks, curiously, still with his shield up. Tony shrugs, leaning himself against the wall and crossing his arms.

“Maybe your story’s not so crazy,” Tony admits, offering Steve a small smile. “Ross has no idea I’m here, and I’d like to keep it that way. Otherwise I would have to arrest myself.”

Steve smirks a bit. “That sounds like a lot of paperwork,” he jokes, and Tony chuckles a bit as well. Then, Steve finally lowers the shield, taking another step towards the other man. Tony keeps himself where he’s standing, trying not to appear too eager. “It’s good to see you, Tony.”

“Yeah, well, I was missing my man. Heard some news about him getting into a lip lock with my cousin? Needed to know from the original source, though,” Tony tries. He can see Steve’s cheeks redden at the mention of that, and even Barnes snorts from behind them, though keeping the gun up. “Hey, Manchurian candidate, you’re killing me. There’s a truce here, you can drop- it’s just typical banter between the two of us!”

Steve motions for Barnes to lower the gun, which he does, eyes still resting on Tony carefully, like he’s preparing himself for another attack.

“Tony, about the kiss-“ Steve starts, but Tony holds up his hand.

“Don’t sweat it, Wilson told me all about it. I suppose I should have warned you about her little crush on you before she assaulted those perfect lips with hers,” Tony assures him. Then he lets the gauntlet of his suit pull away, letting his bare hand into the cold air of the hallway. Without hesitation, he leans forward to rest his fingers onto Steve’s cheek.

“I don’t like fighting,” Steve admits. Tony smiles lightly.

“Let’s agree to talk more in the future, okay?” he suggests. “That’s what people do when they love each other, remember?” Steve nods lightly with a smile on his lips, putting his own gloved hand on top of Tony’s. They stand there for a few long seconds until Barnes clears his throat from behind them.

“Uh, guys? Room full of Winter Soldiers? About to be awakened?”

“Oh, right,” Steve says, pulling his hand away. Tony copies him, letting his gauntlet surround his hand once again. Then he puts the helmet back up. “Lead the way, Bucky.”

Eventually, because Tony is the best protected of all of them, he suggests going first. With his right hand raised and ready to shoot, he walks ahead of them to where Barnes tells him to go. They pass some more rooms, finding some broken windows and destruction at some places. Tony can see Barnes is feeling extremely ill at ease being back here.

“So, uh… you two are, uh, together?” Barnes asks, obviously trying to lighten the mood. He speaks in a hushed voice, but probably still loud enough for people to hear them. If his plan is to sneak up on them, he’s obviously not doing it right.

“Yeah, uh, sorry I didn’t tell you. It wasn’t really a good time to bring it up,” Steve says apologetically. Tony understands what he means; he wasn’t sure if there was even a relationship to mention in the first place.

“We’re practically raising my teenage son together,” Tony adds playfully. Barnes frowns at that, still keeping his gun up.

“You have a son? That wasn’t on the internet?” he asks. Tony just snorts.

“Look honey! He’s capable of looking things up on the internet! Maybe eventually you will learn, too!” Best to bring back the banter; right now, he feels like that all he can bring up, really. There will be a time for a more serious talk, but right now, that’s not it.

“What’s his name?” Barnes asks. It’s Steve who answers.

“Peter. He became seventeen last month,” he says proudly. Then he goes through his pocket and picks up a photograph. Tony knows which one it is; Peter is at the table in front of a large birthday cake. Steve and Tony are on Peter’s right, and May on his left. They’re all laughing, while the other Avengers are celebrating along.

It was a good day. Back then, there weren’t any worries about _the accords_. Crap, Tony shouldn’t have signed. None of them should have. They should just have all come together and discussed the best course of action. Maybe they still can…

Entering a large, open room, Tony’s screen suddenly indicates the presence of heat signatures. Immediately, his mind goes into alert, and he stands still, motioning for both Steve and Barnes to hold still for a moment.

“I got heat signatures,” he warns. Barnes lifts up the gun again, preparing himself for an attack.

“How many?” he asks, almost sounding deadly, reminding him a bit of Natasha during a mission.

“Uh,” Tony gets out, squinting a bit, not knowing if he’s reading this right. “One,” he adds, uncertain. He’s pretty sure that can’t be correct, but it’s exactly what his sensors are seeing.

As they walk further inside, a couple of yellow lights turn on. Barnes tenses up next to him, and Tony realizes they must be cryo-tubes. There are people inside of them, but as far as he can see they’re not moving. It could be a trap, he realizes.

White damp comes out of the tubes, indicating that they’ve been opened. In the middle of the room there’s a device Barnes seem to actively avoid looking at. Seeing it from a bit closer, Tony figures it must be what they’ve used to control this man’s mind.

No wonder he’s so ill at ease.

Seeing the screens that come with the tubes, Tony frowns. With slow steps, the three of them move forward. Now that he’s closer, he sees that they’re heart-monitors, showing the heart-function. Only, this one is flatlining. And the other one, too. And the other one…

“ _If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep_ ,” a voice says through some sort of intercom. Steve, who is now walking in the front, stands still. Tony keeps his hand raised, ready to shoot. Barnes is doing the same thing, looking into the capsule next to him. The person inside has been shot in the head. “ _Did you really think I wanted more of you?”_

“What the hell?” Barnes whispers, seeming even more nervous than before. Tony wonders how long it’ll be until he snaps and just starts shooting everywhere in hope to eventually hit the guy.

 _“I’m grateful to them, though. They brought you here_ ,” Zemo continues, suddenly lighting up a control room he’s hiding inside of. Out of reflex, Steve throws his shield towards him, but it bounces off the wall and comes back to him without having caused any damage. “ _Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets_.”

“I’m betting I could beat that,” Tony adds, attempting to lighten the mood.

“ _Oh, I’m sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given_ time,” the man admits. “ _But then you’d never know why you came_.”

And that silences Tony a bit. Even as Steve and Zemo start talking, discussing the things he’s done, Tony’s mind keeps on rolling, putting everything in order and trying to see _anything_ that would make sense.

 _You’d never know why you came_. It feels like a warning? Like a threat? Barnes and Steve don’t seem as concerned about it, seeming just ready to shoot the moment he comes out. But Tony isn’t them, and while they would just enjoy bringing the guy in without letting him speak further, all Tony can think about is the truth.

_Did Zemo WANT me here?_

“ _I lost everyone, and so will you,”_ Zemo warns, and it’s that sentence that pulls Tony’s attention back up. Inside his cabin, Zemo presses a button. Next to Steve, an ancient screen starts playing something. On it, a date is written down. All he can really read are the numbers sixteen and 1991. As Zemo continues talking, Tony nears the screen when a security feed of a secluded road is shown.

On the left corner, the date is written.

_December 16, 1991._

“I know that road,” Tony utters out, feeling his heart suddenly pick up a few paces. Anxiously, he looks down at the cassette tape that’s currently playing. Then he turns back to the cabin. “What is this?!” he demands.

But Zemo doesn’t answer.

His throat wells up when his dad’s favorite car crashes against the tree. He blinks when a dark figure – with a familiar metal arm – comes into the image. He’s aware of Steve looking at him instead of the video. He doesn’t care.

Because he’s watching his father dying. The man on the ground, begging for his attacked to help his wife – Tony’s mother. Howard recognizing Sergeant Barnes. Tony then looks up at Barnes, who is doing everything he can to keep his eyes away, looking as if he’s reliving his worst nightmare. Their eyes only meet shortly. On the screen, Howard Stark then gets pounded in the face with a metal fist. Tony closes his eyes when he’s sure his father is dead. Then his breath speeds up again at the thought that his mother is next.

Tony’s mother, who shouting in the car, begging for help. Calling out for Howard, in worry.

 _Not my mother,_ he thinks. He should know it’s useless. _Not my mother_.

But his mother still got the air strangled out of her. After that, the video ends with Barnes aiming towards the camera. After that, it’s only static, which represents exactly how Tony is feeling inside right now.

In a fast movement, Tony lunges towards Barnes, only to have Steve’s strong arms stopping him before he can even get to the man – the murderer.

“Tony!” Steve shouts, trying to get his attention. Tony takes a few shaky breaths, feeling his eyes sting. Eventually, he turns towards Steve, feeling just ready to reach inside his own chest and just rip his heart out. That would be less painless than what he’d just seen.

“Did you know?” he asks, because he needs to know. He _needs_ to know if Steve deliberately didn’t tell him about this. If Steve was aware that his parents were, in fact, _murdered_ instead of just uncareful on the road.

“Tony, I can explain-“ Steve starts, but Tony slaps Steve’s hand away from him. _No, no, no, no!_

“Don’t _bullshit_ me, Rogers! Did you know?”

Steve stays quiet for a few seconds. Then, he closes his eyes, lowers his head and nods.

“Yes,” he admits. Tony lets out another shaking breath, nodding in understanding – not really – before shaking his head.

“Why didn’t you- how could you-?”

“I wanted to tell you when you were better,” Steve defends himself sadly. “You were having such a hard time, and I didn’t think you would-“

“THAT WAS MY MOTHER!” Tony shouts through his tears, pushing Steve away from him, feeling close to just punch him in the face.

But he doesn’t. Instead, he turns around and directs his anger towards Barnes.

There’s a fight. It’s messy. Tony can’t really say what’s happening because everything is moving too fast. With red anger flashing in his vision, he seemingly sees everything happening at once. First, there’s Steve trying to pull him away from Barnes. Then he’s warning Barnes to get out, and Tony misses only barely. Barnes tries to escape, Tony chases after him.

He stops thinking about it when Steve smashes his left boot.

It’s just a blur, the only thing he’s feeling is anger. Anger for his mother, anger for his father. All directed towards this single man in front of him. The man Steve seems so desperate to rescue.

“ _This isn’t gonna change what happened_ ,” somebody says in between. Tony doesn’t know who or when. _I don’t care,_ he answers – or at least he thinks he does. _He killed my mom._

FRIDAY is desperately trying to tell him something. Tony’s answer is automatic. Before he knows it, he’s punching back. Barnes is on the ground; who is he fighting with?

Oh, it’s Steve… For a few seconds, Tony stops, looking at the figure on the ground, spitting away some blood.

“ _Please, Tony. He’s my friend_ ,” Steve begs of him. Or at least, Tony thinks he does. He hears the words, but doesn’t really see Steve’s face move. Is he going mad?

 _And what was I?_ he thinks. Or maybe he says it. He’s not sure.

“ _You know what you are. Stop fighting, let us talk this through. People who love each other, talk, remember?”_

 _You should have talked one year ago_. Tony doesn’t know what he’s thinking and what he’s saying anymore. It doesn’t matter. The adrenaline is still too high.

There’s more movement, but Tony’s mind seems to clear at least slightly when he’s lying down on the ground, Steve sitting on top of him. At first, he’s confused as to how he got here in this position. Barnes lying down on the ground, metal arm missing… it explains a bit.

He’s only just barely capable of thinking, before a round, vibranium shield is striking down right into the suit’s arc reactor. Only then does Tony notice that he’s no longer wearing his helmet. Did he lose it in the fight?

Horrified, out of breath and with a heart beating too fast, Tony looks up at Steve, who seems equally shocked by what just happened. Then, Steve pulls the shield away, throwing it to the side and leaning down onto his elbows as he tries to catch his breath.

“Tony, I’m so- I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry,” he keeps on muttering against his own wrist. Tony, still too shocked to move, tries to control his breathing first.

“Steve, I-“ he starts, but he chokes, his eyes stinging and a sob escaping. He turns his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. He fails at it. With Steve still sitting on top of him, the two men cry it out.

Then, suddenly, Steve moves up, grabbing Tony’s face in his hands and turning him back until they’re looking at each other. Their eyes meet, Steve shakes his head.

“I shouldn’t- I just- I don’t want to lose you,” Steve admits shakily. “I l- love you, and I’m sorry.”

Tony pulls out of Steve’s grip and tries to turn around, get into a seating position. He needs to get out of here, needs to go home, somewhere… Peter! Peter can keep him grounded. Peter can make sure that he won’t do anything stupid.

Anything more, at least.

Steve eventually lets go of him and pulls away as well, watching how Tony comes to sit up. Both breathing heavily, Steve tries desperately to catch Tony’s eyes while Tony does his best to avoid Steve’s.

He can’t face him; not now. Too much has happened. Even looking at Steve’s face and realizing that he’s the one that brought that blood there…

How is he any different from his father? At least Howard didn’t beat Tony’s mother… Did that make him better than Tony?

“Tony?” Steve asks. Tony waves his hand once into the air, somewhere in Barnes’ direction.

“Just- go. Take him and go,” Tony breathes out, leaning heavily on his right hand. His left arm is aching in every possible way, and he’s pretty sure he made that contusion even worse. His doctor is going to love him…

“Tony-“ Steve starts. Tony shakes his head.

“I need to- I need to see Peter,” he says. When he tries to make his suit move, fly away, it seems like it can’t. Looking down, he remembers the arc reactor being destroyed.

At least it’s not the only think keeping Tony alive anymore. Surely, Steve knew that.

Pushing himself off the ground, Tony passes Barnes’ by on the ground. He’s unmoving, but one look at him indicates that he’s still conscious. Whatever, Tony doesn’t really care anymore. He reaches to his sides searching for his manual handle to take off the suit. In one swift motion, it opens up, and out of it falls Tony.

The drop on the ground isn’t pleasurable. Leaving the suit behind and walking away from Steve hurts even more.

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a problem; there's a Christmas chapter. That chapter, I wish to post on Christmas, which is in 14 days. After this chapter, I have 15 more (the chistmas chap is the 40th). The math is easily made, I suppose.   
> My issue is that I wanted to post about 3 chapters a week, BUT then the Christmas-chapter will be posted WEEKS after christmas...  
> So, my early christmas present to you: A chapter a day ^^ The waiting is over, here you'll have the whole thing in the following two weeks! 
> 
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Tony realizes things  
> \- Spider-Man Homecoming dialogues  
> \- Kind of everything back to normal but everybody is sad and missing  
> \- Tony dealing with his problems the wrong way

The moment Peter arrives back in New York, the first thing he does is fall right back into the couch. With Aunt May currently not working – meaning she’s at home – Peter decides to just crash at the Tower. It wouldn’t do him well if she would find him bruised and limping, asking questions on how he ended up in this state.

 _I helped dad fight a literal giant. It was awesome and horrible at the same time_. He can’t say that. Especially because the person he actually was supposed to fight was Steve. _Steve_.

It had hurt, to be facing him, bantering in his usual way without being able to tell him that it’s _him_. Steve had pulled his punches, that much was clear, but the fact that they were fighting together and they weren’t at the same side… No, Peter doesn’t like it one bit.

In one instant, when Peter called out for him… he could have sworn Steve knew. He looked at him, eyes wide and about to say something. But then he didn’t. And Peter was left alone.

When Happy asked him where he could drop him off, Peter had just said something in the line of ‘ _Stark Tower. I can just take a cab after that_ ’. Happy had complied, not seeing that Peter actually went inside the building instead of getting another ride.

Getting out of the suit is easier now; a quick push on the button loosens the suit. Peter can just walk out of it without having to dance his typical ‘ _damn this is a tight suit and I can’t take it off_ ’-routine. Having forgotten the case in the hotel, Peter just throws it underneath the couch for now right before dropping into it.

Landing on the soft surface pulls out a groan from him. His muscles ache, his head hurts. The bruise on his right eye doesn’t help. How is he going to explain that to Tony? He could say he got in another fight on the streets, but either way, he’ll get trouble from it. Maybe he just fell against something? Walked some stairs and accidentally dropped his face onto Flash’ fist?

Like anybody would be able to believe that.

“Status update, FRIDAY?” Peter asks.

“ _Sir has just arrived in Siberia,”_ FRIDAY tells him. Peter sits up in confusion.

“Siberia? I thought he was on his way back?” At least, that’s what he got from their last conversation on the phone. It was made right after Peter woke back up in his hotel room. Though, if it’s going to take a bit longer until Tony returns, he could relax for a moment.

“ _He’s currently there to help Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. After finishing there, he’s going to head back to New York.”_

Peter stays quiet. What can he really say? It’s a good sign, right? That Tony is in Siberia to help Steve. That means that he’s over their misunderstanding, no? Peter knows Tony wouldn’t just take flying to a whole other country far away lightly – especially not after the accords.

Oh, crap, is Tony going to get in trouble for heading there?

Peter groans when he stands back up. He needs something to drink, to clear his throat a little bit. He slowly limps towards the kitchenette. There he takes out a glass, which he fills with some water. Leaning against the counter, Peter slowly drinks it up, eyes rested on his cellphone in his hands.

There’s no news, from nowhere. It’s practically the middle of the night, so nobody he knows is still awake. And he’s too tired to head out. He should just sleep.

Dropping his phone on the counter, Peter limps back to the couch. Now, pulling a blanket over him, he falls asleep immediately.

 

* * *

 

 

The tower is dark when Tony arrives back. There’s a quinjet on the landing platform, the sunlight is shining brightly onto his skin – a stark contrast in comparison to the cold he felt back in Siberia – and the inside of the penthouse is clearly darkened.

That makes Tony frown; he thought Peter was here? Or does that mean that he’s still asleep? Why would he still be sleeping? It’s almost past noon, Peter’s usually awake around nine?

“FRIDAY, light?” he asks, and immediately the daylight passes right back through the windows and Tony can finally see where he’s walking again.

“ _Welcome back, sir.”_

“Where’s Peter?” he asks.

“ _He’s in the living room, currently asleep on the couch,”_ FRIDAY tells him. Tony nods, walking through his workshop and quickly checking if everything is still alright here. Then he moves out, takes the elevator up, and walks straight into the living room. So Peter’s on the couch, Tony isn’t going to wake him just yet. There’s a talk they’re going to have here, and Tony knows it’s not going to be a pleasant one. Too much crap has happened – so much that even Tony can’t really think much about it.

(He did, back in the quinjet; he put in the coordinates to New York, and then put FRIDAY on the wheel as he took a moment to have his inner panic attack. It wasn’t pleasant, and it still hurts his chest to think about it – though that could be the shield-shaped bruise he’s gotten onto his torso now.

Coming across a certain Wakandan Prince carrying a bound Helmut Zemo back to his own aircraft, they came to an understanding. Tony would take the quinjet, and T’Challa promised to take Steve and Barnes along with them. At least that way Tony knew that Steve would safely find his way out.)

Heading to the kitchenette, Tony takes all he needs to prepare his hot coco. It’s what his mother made for him whenever he wasn’t feeling well, and he knows Peter isn’t going to feel well after this. The way the kid looks up at Steve, watching him with such adoration. He’s going to take it really hard.

Tony promised to do his best and bring him back here. He failed. He’s the one who pushed him away.

His eyes sting when the memory of a video image comes back into mind, and he shakes his head, holding back a sob. No, not now. Not here. He needs to hold it together, at least until he’s told his story to Peter.

On his way to the kitchenette, he comes across Peter’s phone on the counter. It’s vibrating, a vaguely familiar tune indicating that he’s getting a phone call. Tony takes the phone into his hand, but doesn’t pick up.

Steve’s name is written on the screen. Tony shivers, shaking his head. _Of course Steve would try and call up Peter to tell him he’s not coming back. It’s the least he can do._

The phone call stops, and all Tony can then see is a picture he’s only seen shortly in passing. Peter never really likes to show it, uneasy to talk about it. And even now it feels slightly like he’s invading his privacy, but Tony still finds himself staring at the picture in the background.

It’s Peter and Gwen. It must have been winter, since they’re both wearing bonnets. Peter is smiling at the camera, without the ghosts in his eyes. Without the trouble Tony keeps on seeing in him when he looks at him. Peter is happy, with Gwen’s hand on his one cheek and her lips against his other.

 _She was so young… poor girl_ , Tony thinks to himself. They had been dealing with Ultron back when it happened, so they weren’t in New York. To imagine, had Tony not created such a mess, they might have been able to save her.

Then, taking another quick look at the picture, Tony is reminded of a lazy Sunday morning a few weeks back. Steve slept in for once, and it came to the rare point where Tony was awake before him. Tony had pulled out his cellphone and woke Steve up by kissing him on the cheek, exactly at the same time that he took a picture. It had been a good one, and it’s still, currently, saved onto his phone.

Best to just put the phone down, he realizes. Peter is not going to like him going through his stuff. Tony sighs and lets it go, finally heading to the kitchenette and preparing the hot Coco.

Once it’s finished, he takes the two mugs and makes his way to the couches.

“Peter, are you awake?” he asks. “Listen, I made some hot coco. There’s something we need to talk about.”

Once Peter comes into view, Tony frowns. There he lies, his son, deeply asleep on the couch. The one thing standing out immediately being the massive black eye he’s sporting. Only then does Tony notice the bruises on Peter’s arms, the paleness in his face. The mess that his hair has become.

“PETER PARKER?” he almost shouts, mostly trying to just wake Peter up. It works; the teenager startles and drops out of the couch, tangled into the blanket.

“Dad? You’re back already?!” Peter calls back, trying to get out from his own trap on the ground. Tony just stands there, holding the two mugs into his hands and frowning down at his son, who is looking like somebody has been using him as a personal punching bag.

“Peter Parker, why are you bruised all over?” he asks, using his serious tone. Peter swallows nervously, standing up at last. Wearing only a t-shirt, he fails at trying to hide the bruises on his arms away.

“It’s, uh- I was- uh…” but then Peter’s eyes go wide, quickly looking around Tony in search for something. “Dad, where’s Steve?”

Tony doesn’t answer. Instead, he puts his brains to work. Thinking back of Peter’s phone, the familiar tune of his ringtone. He was sure that he heard it before, and now he remembers. On the plane. On their way to Berlin.

“FRIDAY, where’s the Spider-Man suit currently located?” Tony asks, ignoring Peter’s question.

 _“The suit is currently underneath the couch Master Parker had been utilizing,”_ FRIDAY answers.

“Dad, tell me, please!”

Tony ignores him. He drops the mugs down on the coffee table and kneels down on the ground. Ignoring the pain in his left shoulder as he leans on it, he reaches underneath the couch and finds there the familiar fabric of the suit he’s been working on with Peter.

 _“_ Peter, why do you have the suit?” he asks but another part of him knows the answer. It’s so obvious. The way the kid’s voice seemed to sound familiar, no matter how much he tries to shield it away. The way they’re the same height, age, have the same sense of humor. The fact that Peter was there when Gwen Stacy died. The web-shooters…

The way it was obvious for Tony that the kid didn’t want to fight Steve. Because Peter wouldn’t want to do it, yet he still did it because Tony asked…

The ringtone…

“Dad, where’s Steve?” Peter keeps on begging, tears clear in his eyes. But all Tony can see is red from anger; how could he not have seen this before? Had he known, he would never have pulled Peter into this. This whole fight; it shouldn’t have been with Peter. The fact that he just asked his son to practically fight against his other idol – his other father-figure…

What does that make of him?

“Why do you have the suit?!” he bites at Peter, but then he sees Peter’s face again as if for the first time. Eyes red from the tears, Peter stands there, bruised and broken, begging Tony for an answer. He wants to know where Steve is, he’s begging here, and all Tony can do is snap at him. All he can do is being a horrible father; again.

And Peter flinches a bit when Tony stands up, dropping the suit back onto the ground. Then, after a few seconds, Tony opens up his arms and immediately, Peter practically jumps into them. With his face pressed against Tony’s shoulder, he sobs it out, letting go of the tears and the uncertainty.

Of course, this causes for Tony to let out his own tears, as well.

“I’m so sorry, Peter. Steve… it was all my fault,” Tony admits. Peter doesn’t answer. But what can he say?

Putting his hand behind Peter’s head, he pulls him even closer.

“But we’re going to be fine; it’s going to be okay,” Tony assures him, even though he doesn’t really believe it himself. The idea of having to go on without Steve grounding him just feels like agony.

But he supposes that’s what it’s like, being a dad. It’s all about pretending to think everything will sort itself out. And maybe, if he thinks it for long enough, he might even believe it.

 

* * *

 

 

_Two months later_

Peter listens to the same song every day.

It’s not like it has sentimental value in it, or anything like that. He just finds it a good song; it’s catchy, it’s got some good vibes, and it helps him relax a little bit as he stands in a full train on his way back to Queens.

With there being no empty seats, he stands in the hallway with his headphones on, eyes resting on the keyboard he’s currently using to send his texts. All in the while, his music keeps on playing.

Okay, so is it really that bad to be listening to Toto’s _Africa_ for the past week? Tony surely seems to find it hilarious, but then again, Tony has the weirdest music-taste, too.

Sending the message, Peter once again doesn’t expect an answer. He’s pretty sure the number has been disconnected, after all; it would have been the wisest thing to do.

  * _Just came out of school. On my way to the tower to hang out with Tony for a bit_.



The past few texts have been more of the same. They’re just small little updates on his life, things he wants Steve to know, despite knowing that he won’t ever get to see these. And if Tony would be aware he’s doing this, he’ll be feeling horrible again, so it’s his mission nowadays not to let the man know.

There’s just one more secret, but at least the biggest one is revealed.

Besides, he got to keep the suit, after all.

He isn’t lying when he says that he’s on his way to the tower to hang out with Tony for a bit. He’s saying the truth, but he’s just not mentioning that he’s doing a few more stops on the way. So he gets off the train a few stops too soon, goes to buy his stuff at Delmar’s Deli-Grocery, hurries himself into a small alley, and gets out of his clothes.

There’s nobody around. The only one seeing him change is a stray cat, who hurries off the moment it realizes it’s not alone.

To compare the two different suits… it almost seems impossible. Sure, Peter did the best he could with what he had at the time, and it’s not like the previous suit was such a horrible thing. But this one… it’s just not even in the same wavelength!

It’s more flexible, more durable. He doesn’t sweat in it, doesn’t get lines in his skin from it being too tight in some places. The lenses they’ve installed on it even help him focus on stuff more than the previous sunglasses did.

If he could be in love with a suit, it would describe perfectly what he’s feeling right now. After all, the suit doesn’t _tear_.

So he might be kicking down some trashcans in his enthusiasm to put it on… that doesn’t mean that he’s being irresponsible, right?

With his food in hands, the first thing he comes across is somebody stealing a bike. He deals with the thief easy enough, but finding the owner of the bike proves to be harder than he thought.

Surfing a bit on the internet while eating his snacks, Peter sits on the roof of a train. The hot summer sun is shining down on him, but he doesn’t feel it. That’s how awesome his suit is!

His browser history lately only contains the latest news about Captain America; if he’s been found yet, what the latest update on him is. People are describing him as a criminal now, but Peter knows that’s not who he is. Steve _can’t_ be a criminal. And he’s sure Tony’s already working on fixing this.

Right? That _must_ be what Tony’s been doing these past two months.

Being recognized while being on watch on a roof, Peter can’t help but smirk. When the person asks him to do a backflip, he doesn’t question it but shows off his trick. All he gets is an enthusiastic shout in return.

Seeing an old lady walking the same street for the fifth time, he decides to come down and help her. She offers him a churro as thanks after he showed her the way. He eats that on the roof of a building while he toys around a bit with his web shooters. Tony has been amusing himself ever since Peter gave him the formula to create the web fluid. He’s been making tons of stuff Peter could use – maybe even too much. Peter can’t catch up!

And that’s when he comes across a bank robbery. He smirks, puts his web fluid back in the shooters, and gets off his ass.

“Finally something _good_ ,” he says. Sure, it’s not like he’s been doing _nothing_ all day, but to be honest – after the Lizard and Electro – Peter knows he can do more. Stopping a robbery might just be the thing that will make his Dad understand that he can do so much more.

As Peter sneaks into the bank, he quickly sees that the gadgets they’re using are _way_ too advanced to even consider this a normal robbery. Holy crap, what is he getting himself into now?

Peter closes the door when the three robbers wearing a Cap, Thor and Hulk-mask are loading in the money. The man with the Iron Man-mask (a version that looks even worse than the one Peter had when he was a kid) stands guard with his gun up. Is that a shotgun? Peter wouldn’t know, he isn’t too familiar with weapons of that kind.

Standing in front of a poster that talks about _identity theft_ , Peter leans against the door, putting a hand on his hip while he waits for the men to turn around. He clears his throat once.

“’sup guys, forget your pin-number?” Peter asks casually. Simultaneously, all the plastic, cartoony faces of the Avengers turn to look at him. Then he points at them. “Whoa, you’re the Avengers! What are you guys doing here?”

The Iron Man loads up the gun and points it at Peter. Out of reflex, he snatches it out of his hands with his webs. With a practiced movement, he pulls the gun away so it smashes the men on their heads. As a result, Iron Man and Cap drop down on the ground with a groan. The Thor then tries to land in an elbow-punch, but Peter catches it immediately, pushing the elbow back until the man’s fist punches the Hulk in the face instead. The two fall down on the ground with a grunt as well, though the Thor-man flies against the poster, breaking the glass that covers it.

“Thor, Hulk, glad to finally meet you guys as well,” Peter jokes on. “Thought you guys would be more handsome in person.”

He turns around just in time to avoid another blow, this time from the Iron man.

“Iron Man?! What are you doing robbing a bank? You’re a billionaire?” Peter continues, easily pushing the man away towards the Hulk, who in turn falls to the ground again, as well. The Cap picks up a weapon and points it towards Peter.

That’s when his internal alarms start ringing. He tries to jump away, but suddenly he’s floating into the air.

“Whoa, this is so weird!” he complains. When he’s pushed out of suspension, he smashes against Hulk and Thor – man, these guys never really catch a break, do they? Peter doesn’t pay attention to them, instead just leaning up a bit to face the Cap-man. “Whoa, what is that thing?” he asks, wishing his voice wouldn’t squeak that much.

The Cap just repeats what he did before, lifting Peter up against the ceiling and back to the ground, and repeating the process a few times.

“I’m starting to think you’re not the Avengers!” Peter bites out in between being smashed all the time. He’s starting to feel a bit nauseated, right now. With a quick trick, he incapacitates Cap, making the man drop down with another grunt. The weapon falls out of his hands, and Peter is back safely on his two feet. 

He messes around a bit more, even sticking the Iron Man’s arms against the shattered windows and pulling off his mask slightly while he asks where they got their weapons. But an answer is never given, when the Hulk loads up another gun, and suddenly a purple beam is blinding him. Sparks are flying everywhere, heat coming too close to Peter’s suit – the fact that he feels that means that it’s _extremely_ hot.

The moment the beam is gone, Peter takes a quick look around to check the damage. His heart sinks when he sees Mr. Delmar’s shop there, in ruins. Immediately forgetting the criminals at his feet, Peter hurries outside to look for survivors.

Once Mr. Delmar and his cat are out, Peter quickly coms to the realization that they’ve escaped. While still holding the cat, he hunches his shoulders a bit and sighs.

“Oh, come on,” he mutters bitterly. Hearing the police sirens, Peter decides it’s best to just get away. Handing the cat back to Mr. Delmar – he’s going to have to ask Tony about donating some money to the guy to build his shop back up – Peter hurries away. It’s probably time to head back home, after all. He hurries back to the alleyway to pick up his backpack, only to find that it’s no longer there.

“Ah, crap,” he mutters to himself. He’s been too careless about where he’s been throwing his stuff lately. He needs better places to hide it away. The wall might have been too obvious for a homeless person walking by. It’s best to just swing his way back to the tower then.

It’s almost nine in the evening when he’s finally crawled his way up to the top floor of Stark Tower. It always takes a few minutes, due to it being a freakishly tall building. The wind’s always a little bit stronger here, too. When he gets to the balcony, he stands in front of the door, pressing his hand against the window and waiting for FRIDAY to respond. When she doesn’t, he groans and pulls his mask off.

“FRI, you there?” he asks.

“ _I always am, Master Parker,”_ the AI answers. Peter looks up at the ceiling and gives her his best smile.

“Would you be a dear and let me in, please?”

_“Have you lost your stuff again?”_

“…Yes?”

“ _Then you know what you have to do to be allowed inside,”_ FRIDAY tells him without any remorse. Peter groans in frustration and passes a gloved hand through his hair. He hates the ‘Locked-out-protocol’. It’s only designed to make him feel foolish.

It’s probably the only reason why Tony installed it in the first place.

“C’mon, can’t you just make an exception this one time?” he tries. He can’t just do the thing without at least trying to convince her to get him off the hook.

“ _I’m afraid not,”_ she tells him, though she doesn’t sound at all like she’s regretting it. Peter rolls his eyes and lets out a deep breath. Then he clears his throat and licks his lips.

“Alright, pass him through,” he tells her. Then he waits for a few seconds, at least until he can hear that he’s allowed to speak. While he waits, he cracks his neck loose and shakes his shoulders a bit, preparing himself for this mentally.

“ _Yes?”_ Tony Stark’s familiar voice asks through a small intercom that is installed all over the floor. Peter’s pretty sure Tony’s got images on Peter standing there, still in his suit, waiting to be allowed inside.

“Oh, Tony Stark, Dad, creator of all that is awesome and unprecedented. I humbly ask you to allow me, your idiot son who keeps on losing his stuff, inside of your well-kept home that is practically a modern, high-up tree-house-castle.”

Tony stays silent for a bit. Peter then does his part and puts a hand on his chest before bowing down.

 _“What’s that about a tree-house-castle?_ ” Tony asks. Peter rolls his eyes.

“C’mon, Dad, can I please come in?” Peter begs. Despite that he doesn’t sweat in the suit, he would really just want to take a shower and relax a bit on the couch for the evening.

“ _I don’t know… I really like my stuff, and with the speed at how fast you keep on losing things… It just doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do, you know?”_

Peter groans.

“Plea-hease!” he adds for one last time.

“ _Ah, alright. If only because I can’t resist those chocolate brown eyes of yours,”_ Tony tells him, opening the door at last. Peter snorts and hurries inside.

“Our eyes are the same,” he counters right before closing the door behind him.

“Exactly!” Tony says, walking out of the hallway just as he speaks. He’s holding up a half-empty cup of coffee, and comes to stand still in front of Peter with an eyebrow raised. “Now, how many times has that been this month?”

Peter looks down guiltily.

“Three?” he gets out.

“Three… this month. We’re only the tenth of September, Peter. In August alone you lost about seven bags! I know we’re rich, but if you keep going like this we’re going to run out of money eventually.”

Tony ruffles through his hair and turns around again.

“You go get washed up. I’ll finish with Happy downstairs with listing everything down and then we’ll go get something to eat. Oh and your friend Ned apparently is going to come by – something about Star Wars? I told FRIDAY to just let him in.”

“Whoa- but dad! There’s some things I need to tell you! About these guys robbing a bank, and they had these _crazy_ weapons, and-“

“Tell me during dinner, alright?”

But then Tony’s gone again and Peter shakes his head. Sure, Tony’s behavior towards him hasn’t changed a bit, not even after figuring out he’s Spider-Man (though he might have become even more over-protective whenever he sees a small bruise on Peter). But with keeping a regular schedule on when he’s at May’s and when he’s at Tony’s, he quickly comes to realize that, whenever he’s not here, Tony’s spending most of his time hidden away in the workshop – or lately just being busy with removing everything Avengers-related back to the Compound. The tower, which has officially been _Avengers Tower_ until now, has just been bought back by Stark Industries. At least that doesn’t mean they’ll have to move so soon after Peter just got here.

Peter’s not stupid; he knows Tony’s suffering from Steve being gone. He’s seen how badly Tony had taken it the first few days after returning from Siberia with no Captain by his side. The few nights that he does spend in his bed are plagues with nightmares, and every small mention of Steve just gets him to shut down completely. It’s probably why the man wants to distance his life from the Avengers now.

For the most part of July, Tony has been working together with Pepper again. Mostly, he asked for her help to put out the Avengers' fire, which she did without asking any questions. They helped die down the stories that were written about them, and even got the newspaper to stop portraying the remaining Avengers as criminals. What they are, right now, is just stuck in a grey zone between hero and illegal vigilante.

Peter doesn’t know enough of it to really put anything together about it. All he knows is that Tony considers him too young to be getting involved with this, so he’s kept out of it, mostly.

With that thought mostly on his mind, he starts making his way to his bedroom. By now, it’s been mostly decorated to make it feel more like his _room_ , his safe haven where he gets to be alone for once in a while. Having _two_ bedrooms has been confusing at first, but now Peter only finds it awesome to be able to call the Tower _home_ as well.

Peter throws the door open and does a backflip inside of the room, landing back on his two feet easily. He does that often, just random acrobatics, but only here. His room at Queens isn’t big enough for that. Without really looking around, he throws his mask onto his bed and starts stretching on his way to his closet, where he’s heading to fish out some new clothing.

It’s only in the mirror that he sees the figure on his bed.

“What the-?” they both ask at the same time, and then Peter jumps up in the air when the unfinished Lego Death Star falls down on the ground.

“NED?!” he asks in a shout. “You’re _already_ here?!”

“Yeah, uh, the, uh… the voice let me in?” Ned asks, with eyes open wide, taking in Peter standing there with his suit still on.

Oh crap. His suit. Is still on.

“You’re Spider-Man,” Ned whispers, shocked. Peter knows he’s screaming on the inside – he’s aware of how much of a fan Ned is. All Ned does is talk about the Avengers, and mostly Spider-Man. He would just never have thought he would find out.

Ned’s already horrible at keeping secrets.

“No, no, no, I’m not!” Peter says, and the first thing he thinks to do is just press the button to get out of the suit. It comes loose all around him, and falls down on the ground while Peter ends up standing there in just his underwear.

“You did a _backflip!_ ” Ned continues.

“People do them all the time!” Peter counters, realizing his breathing heavily from the sudden nerves.

“You have the _new suit_!”

“It’s just a replica!” Peter adds to it. Only, of course, that’s the moment where Tony decides to butt in, opening the door with his now empty cup of coffee in his one hand, and one of his new inventions in his other.

“Hey little spider, I just made some adjustments to the web shooters. You should head down to the training center downstairs and test them out when you get the chance,” the inventor says, throwing Peter the new web shooters before raising his eyebrows at the sudden realization that they’re not alone here.

“Uh, thanks, dad?” Peter says nervously, not even bothering to tell him not to tinker around with his stuff anymore; he knows it’s no use. Tony doesn’t say anything, only shortly passing his eyes over Peter’s half-naked state before letting it roll over to Ned standing there, looking star struck. While he’s met Tony before in the past two months, he keeps on getting speechless around him.

“We’re not supposed to be having some sort of talk here, right?” Tony asks, actually sounding a bit uneasy about it. Ned doesn’t answer. Peter frowns, embarrassed.

“Oh, c’mon dad, _no_! I don’t need the talk! I’ve had it with May already!” Peter throws at him. Besides, it’s too late to have it. It’s not like Peter hasn’t done anything yet!

“Okay, uh, good. I don’t think I’m mentally ready for that,” Tony admits nervously. “Ned, you’re staying here for dinner?”

“I, uh,” Ned says unintelligible, but Peter then cuts in.

“He, can’t. He’s got somewhere to go, his mother just called!” Peter makes up nervously. Tony lifts another eyebrow at that, and Ned just keeps on being speechless. A few more seconds of silence are passing between them before Tony sighs.

“He saw you in the suit, didn’t he?” he asks.

Peter swallows.

Then he sighs, too.

“He saw me in the suit,” he admits.

Tony groans and lifts up his hand to rub his brow, shaking his head a little bit. Taking a step back into the hallway, he points a finger towards Peter, and then Ned.

“You’re old enough to figure this out. Keep it contained, okay? Dinner will be there in twenty minutes,” he says before walking off. After closing the door, Peter tries to swallow past a lump in his throat. What just happened?

“Whoa, he knows?!” Ned asks, way _too_ excited about this all. Peter just sighs and decides to give up.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it happened! Tony knows! I wanted to put the reveal at the end of the chapter, but at the same time it would become too long, so I put it in this one instead!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings  
> \- more Homecoming stuff with our own twist  
> \- Mentions of Harry (I promise he'll be back soon)

The Compound isn’t the same anymore.

While Tony returns to help Rhodey with his revalidation, Peter usually arrives there, feeling like he’s somewhere he doesn’t belong. After all, Wanda’s gone. Steve’s gone. Clint’s gone. Even Yaël has freaking disappeared overnight, never letting him know anything about it other than leaving a letter saying ‘ _gonna see the world’_ , whatever that means.

For the whole summer break, time moved slowly. Mostly it had just been Peter waiting for them to return, for the team to be assembled again. Next to that, the first few days had been spent arguing with Tony on whether or not he was allowed to keep the suit. It’s safe to assume to which conclusion they’ve come eventually.

Tony agreed on Peter keeping it if he continued his training, but that possibility also disappeared as soon as they realized Natasha has gone under as well. Leaving only small messages that say she’s doing fine, there’s not much else they hear about it. Peter just sticks to training against a dummy for the few times he joins Tony at the compound. 

Peter has asked Tony if it’s expected of him to sign the accords as well. All Tony did was huff and give a vague, cryptic answer.

“Stick to the little guy,” was all he said on the matter. When Peter brought it up again a little bit later, all Tony got to tell him was that he was underage, and didn’t want him to sign them until he was a legal adult. Peter decides not to go against it.

With Flash begrudgingly joining the Decathlon-team – as a sanction from his own mother after all that bullying in the past – things almost even feel weird at the school. The constant ‘fear’ of having Flash kicking his ass quickly passes over, but instead comes another growing fear, this one being Ned.

Of course, Ned is an awesome guy. He’s a good friend, he’s smart, and he loves Star Wars just as much as Peter does. But he also runs his mouth more often than not, and there have been a few times where Peter had to kick him in the legs for almost revealing to the entire school that he’s Tony Stark’s son.

Or worse… That he’s Spider-Man!

So Peter figures it’s best to just stay at his side at all times; that way he can make sure Ned doesn’t spill much more than that. That proves to be hopeless during gym, when he announces to the entire class that Peter ‘knows Spider-Man’!

Of course, that’s old news, since everybody seems to know Peter once convinced Spider-Man to come to a party. A party he doesn’t really want to think back to.

The damage is small, he only has a _few_ of the students looking at him curiously; probably the new ones who didn’t know about Peter’s internship at SI. But the one person that does get his attention is Liz.

As he looks at her, he gets some small flashes of them dancing together. It must be from the party at Flash’, he tells himself. It’s been clear to him that the girl has been showing some… interest, but so far, Peter hasn’t really given himself the luxury of thinking about it.

Even now, he can only give her a light smile before heading out of the gym the moment the bell rings. Rolling his eyes towards Ned, he decides it’s best not to cause too much of a scene right here. It’s not like many of the students _care_ about who he knows. He’s not that important to them.

“Hey, Peter?”

Oh, great. That’s Liz. Peter turns around to face the girl, noticing rather quickly that she’s taller than him, though only slightly. Her dark skin shines a bit from sweating, and she licks her lips the moment she joins up with him.

“Liz, hi,” Peter greets her. Liz nervously pulls her hair behind her ear and shuffles a bit on her feet.

“Hi, uh, I just- I wanted to ask- I’m having a party tonight; my parents aren’t home. Do you, maybe, want to come?”

Peter’s mouth falls open in surprise. Another party? Is that really such a good idea? He knows last party was a disaster because he couldn’t keep away from the drinks and that’s easily avoided next time, but on the other hand he’s a bit scared he’s going to make another fool of himself.

“I- uh,” he mumbles out. Then suddenly, he gets a slap on his shoulder. Turning around, he comes to face Ned, who is grinning excitedly.

“Of course he’ll be there!” Ned answers for him. Before Peter can even deny that, Liz smiles happily.

“Awesome!” Then she grabs his hand and pulls a pen, scribbling down words on his skin. With eyes focused on what she’s writing, Peter feels a whole sense of _wrong_ going through him. He remembers last time a girl took his hand to put down her address, a little more than two years ago now.

“Uh,” he mutters out. Liz pulls away the moment she’s done, and then she hops away with another smile. Unlike last time with Gwen, the girl doesn’t nervously continue the conversation a bit. “What just happened?”

“You, my friend, are _so_ getting yourself a girlfriend!” Ned says enthusiastically. With a mouth fallen open, Peter turns to his friend.

“Ned, I don’t want a girlfriend!” he hisses at him, heart beating fast. Why is he suddenly so nervous?

“Wh- why not? _Everybody’s_ in love with Liz! And she likes you! Be happy, man!” Ned counters, still smirking. He punches his arm once more.

“I’m not happy! I have, literally, _zero_ interest in getting myself a girlfriend!”

“Why not?” Ned asks, suddenly curiously. Peter sighs and then shrugs.

“I dunno, I just don’t have the time!” Peter admits. “Besides, my _dad_ tried dating, and look what it got him!”

Ned then gives him a confused stare.

“Who- your dad? You never mentioned that?”

Peter shrugs and then shakes his head, starting to make his way back to the changing room. Right now, all he wants to do is head home and not think about this again. Aunt May is there tonight, so they can roll up a movie and just spend the evening on the couch.

“C’mon Peter, then at least be my wingman?”

Peter sighs, rolls his eyes and then does the exact opposite of what he wants to do.

He _agrees_.

 

* * *

 

 

With Tony out of the country for some Stark Industries-stuff, Peter is spared from the warning he was no doubt going to get at the mention of going to a party.

Still, he got a few words from his Aunt, who ended up driving both him and Ned – who is wearing a freaking cowboy hat! – to Liz’ house.

The party’s not too bad (aside from the introduction he was given the moment he arrived, referencing back to his embarrassing dancing stint). Flash is, once again, the DJ, and there’s lots of drunk teenagers around, but so far Peter doesn’t see anything too horrible happening. When a cup of beer is passed to him, Peter refuses just to be safe.

But the more time he spends in here, the more he wants to get out again. Just a bit of fresh air can’t be too bad, no? Still, Liz is eyeing him from everywhere she’s standing, too shy to actually talk to him. She’s often surrounded by her friends, and Peter stays close to Ned.

They come across Michelle once. She just raises an eyebrow at him, gestures that she’s watching him, and then walks off again. Peter doesn’t let her get to him.

Peter hangs on. For an hour, he bites his tongue and pretends to enjoy himself. But after that, he decides he needs a moment. Just a bit of fresh air. So he quickly tells Ned he’s going out for a little while, and then gets to the garden. Walking past a few couples that are making out, Peter hurries into a secluded spot where he, then, starts to climb up the wall.

Just some alone time. The roof can guarantee that.

Of course, that’s not taking in account the sudden blue explosion he’s seeing from a good distance away.

Casting one last look at Ned, who is standing in front of the window, looking around and seeming just out of place like Peter had been feeling, he decides this thing has a priority now. So he shrugs off his clothes, fishes out the mask from his pocket, and stretches his arms a bit.

So, he came to the party wearing his suit? He’s been hoping for a reason to get away, and some Spider-Man action is just about the right thing.

The only bad thing about Liz’ neighborhood? The lack of tall buildings. With absolutely nowhere to shoot his webs at, he finds himself stranded on the ground, meaning that his journey to the blue explosions has just become a whole lot harder.

On foot! Holy crap! He tries out all the possible short cuts, interrupts a few garden parties and almost falls into a few pools. A couple of dogs are happy to see him, others bark and growl. After a few minutes, he gets himself to a bridge where a couple of people are talking together. Peter notices the large, strange gun one of the men is holding.

“ _Okay, okay, okay. I got what you need here, man,”_ somebody says. The man holding the gun seems unlpeased, like he’s not impressed. With that, the other man, the one with the bonnet and the yellow-sleeved hoodie, picks up the gun again and hurries back to his van. “ _I’ve got tons of great stuff here.”_

As the man starts to sum up what he’s got here, another man faces the buyer, telling him about how they’re the only ones selling these kinds of things.

 _Oh, this must be where the ATM-robbers got their stuff_ , Peter thinks to himself. It would make sense.

Thinking back of it, when he tried mentioning it to Tony last time during dinner, all the man had told him was not to get himself into that mess. Now, Peter could listen and stay away, or he could actually try and figure out what is happening here, no?

 _“Listen, man, I just need something to stake out somebody, alright? I’m not trying to… shoot them back in time_ ,” the buyer says, holding his shirt nervously. The man in the van mentions something else that gets the man’s attention. Peter leans a bit closer to listen in.

That’s when Ned calls.

Now, he knows it’s Ned. Because Ned has selected his own personal ringtone on Peter’s phone. While everybody has the tone Gwen chose all that time back, Ned has his own little tune that would warn Peter immediately that it’s him. It was  _his_ idea:  _The guy in the chair_ , he had said. 

Of course, the fact that his phone goes off is crap, because he was actually doing good at listening in to these guys. As a result of his sudden interruption, the sellers suddenly point their guns towards the man in the large shirt, who holds up his hands and takes a few steps back in fright.

“ _You set us up_?” the man asks. The other man shakes his head nervously.

“ _Hey, hey, man!”_ he responds. Peter drops down from his hiding place. Nobody is going to get shot when he’s around, that’s for sure! Once he lands on the ground, he starts waving his arms.

“Hey, hey come on! You’re gonna shoot somebody shoot at me!” he shouts at them.

The man holding the gun raises an eyebrow, and looks at him, seeming unimpressed. “Alright,” he says, turning until his gun is pointed towards Peter. Then Peter shoots it out of his hands and runs towards them. The man, the buyer, runs off to safety. Good, he doesn’t need to be here.

Before Peter can near any of them, he’s suddenly punched away. A hard blow against the face sends him flying in the air until he lands on his back, painfully. Realizing that he might have been attacked by one of these weapons, Peter scrambles back up and shoots at the car until he’s attached to it.

It’s a testament to the fabric Tony has used that it’s not ripping as he slides on the ground. There’s a messy chase. He’s shot at by the same purple beam as in the bank. He’s swinging left and right, smashing against multiple trashcans and mailboxes. His nose actually hurts from the repeated blows.

It’s a small relief when the gun suddenly flies past him. It means he won’t be shot at anymore. But, distracted as he is, he lands against a stone mailbox. With it breaking from the impact, Peter can’t help but let go of his webs. He sees the car drive away, and an attempt to stick himself to the other door fails when it breaks.

So he takes another shortcut; going through more gardens, and ruining even more parties, scaring other kids and dogs. After a while, he switches to going through the roofs. He catches up to the car, makes his jump-

Only to be snatched out of the sky, instead. There’s even more struggle, and darkness prevents him from seeing what grabbed him other than two shiny green eyes. At first, his mind tells him ‘ _The Goblin_ ’, but then he thinks better of it. Harry’s still at the Compound, stuck in strong therapy with all the possible doctors Tony could find on the subject.

The higher he gets, the more nervous he becomes. This is not what’s supposed to happen. Worried, he tries all he can to struggle free. His mind travels back to Harry, to the last time he’s been carried into the sky like this.

His reflexes tell him to fight. His mind tells him that he’ll fall to his death if he gets himself loose.

His suit has a mind of his own. When he gets to a certain height, a small alarm suddenly goes off, and then the breath is pulled out of his lungs and he’s ripped away from the claws that were holding him. Seeing only the green lights in a dark silhouette that remind him of a murderous vulture, Peter lets whatever’s taking him this time pull him down again.

He realizes it’s a parachute when he’s suddenly inside of it. That’s not how it’s supposed to be! He should be underneath the parachute, not inside of it! This is not going to do him much good! He shouts in panic, his hear racing too fast and his mind making him think back of last time. He can almost imagine Tony flying after him, reaching out his hand, shouting at him in panic.

Peter can’t see a thing. The parachute completely surrounding him, he continues with his fall until there’s a hard blow on his back. There’s tears forming in his eyes, and suddenly water is coming from everywhere. The suit is a lot of things, but not waterproof. For rain maybe, yeah, but not for being dropped into a damn lake!

He struggles, fights to be freed, but the chute sticks to him like it’s afraid to let go. Realizing he needs to think _now_ or he’ll never think again, Peter tries freeing himself a bit slower. Maybe being fast isn’t helping at all.

But no, no matter what he does, the chute doesn’t let go. He wants to scream, but who is going to hear him?

Is this what Dad warned him about? When he said not to go after these guys? Did he know something like this would happen? Is he disappointed him now?

Peter closes his eyes. There’s nothing left for him to do; he’s going to drown here, and that’s how it’s going to happen. He’s been a fool, way over his head…

When Peter suddenly feels like he can breathe again, he opens his eyes. He can’t feel the wind going over him, but he can catch a glimpse of the water underneath him. He’s flying above it, _fast_. There are hands holding him underneath his armpits. Peter coughs out some water, and then tries to look up.

He recognizes the blue glow of the Arc Reactor everywhere.

“Oh, uh… hey,” he mutters out. Tony doesn’t answer. Instead, he flies them towards a playground where he drops Peter on top of the Monkey Bars. There, he hovers into the air while Peter pulls off his mask, finally feeling like he can breathe again, completely.

“ _What happened?”_ Tony asks, voice sounding metallic as always through the helmet.

And so Peter starts explaining; about the party. The explosion he saw, the weapons and how they were obviously connected to the ATM-guys. Squeezing out his mask, he barely gets through his words. Shivering a bit from the cold – hey, the suit might be resistant to temperature, but he’s wet, and it’s _cold_ – he stumbles through the story.

“And then he just- he just, like, swooped out like a monster and picked me up and I- he- he- flew me up to like a thousand feet and just dropped me!” Peter finishes the story. “How’d you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?”

Tony, still in his suit, keeps on hovering in the air without removing his mask.

“ _Uh, I put everything in your suit,”_ Tony says, shrugging shortly. “ _Including this heater._ ”

Immediately, a warmth passes over Peter, originating from the suit. Though shuddering through the cold, Peter feels an immediate relief now that he’s no longer freezing.

“Whoa, that’s better, thanks!” Peter calls out, looking down at his gloved hands.

“ _What were you thinking?_ ” Tony then asks.

“The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons! I gotta take him down!” Peter defends himself.

“ _Take him down now, huh? Steady, crocket, there are people that’ll handle this sort of thing,”_ Tony says, suddenly looking to the side and holding up a hand as if he’s gesturing something to somebody. Peter frowns a bit.

“Who? You can’t mean the Avengers, right?”

 _“No, no, no, that’s a little below their paygrade,”_ Tony counters. Peter glares at him. They both know there’s no Avengers to speak of. Come to think of it…

“Uh, Dad, how are you even here? I thought you were in India?” Peter asks in confusion. He can clearly remember Tony leaving only yesterday. He can’t just have flown back to fish Peter out of the water.

“ _Oh, I’m not… here_ ,” Tony says, finally raising the helmet and revealing an empty Iron Man suit. Peter then rolls his eyes and sighs as he leans back. “ _Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now. Thank Ganesh while you’re at it.”_

The suit makes a movement as if Tony’s accepting a drink somewhere. Oh crap, Peter really doesn’t like it when Tony drinks, even though it’s just something small. He doesn’t want Tony to fall back to his bad habits.

“ _Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please,”_ Tony then begs of him.

“Why?” Peter complains.

“ _Why? Because I said so!”_ Tony shouts in return, sounding incredibly annoyed. Well, that’s pretty much how Peter is feeling right now. Then, somewhere in the background, he can hear Tony talk to somebody else. “ _Sorry, I’m talking to my teenage son.”_

The suit makes a movement as if he’s waving the person off.

“ _Stay close to the ground! Build up your game, helping the little people. Like that lady that bought you the churro.”_ Then the invisible glass is lifted up to the mask shortly before it's put away again. “ _Ugh, that stuff is disgusting._ _Can’t you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?”_

“But, Dad, I’m ready for more than that now!” Peter complains. Because it’s true; he can do so much more. Especially now with the suit! Give him another Electro, or Lizard! He can take them all down!

Tony closes the helmet then. “ _No, you’re not_.”

“That’s not what you thought when you asked me to take on Steve,” Peter throws at him, but regrets it immediately. He can see the change in stance on the suit almost instantly. Tony doesn’t respond immediately, leaning forward a bit while his free hand goes to his chest. Peter knows what that means; he’s rubbing his scar again.

After a long breath, Tony talks on.

“ _Listen, Pete, if you come across these weapons again, just call Happy_ ,” Tony then asks him, voice cracking a little bit. He’s trying to hide his emotions, again.

“C’mon, you know Happy doesn’t like me,” Peter complains. “Do you really think he’ll listen?”

“ _Happy likes you, he just has a funny way of showing it.”_

Through the speakers, Peter can hear a car engine roaring up.

“Are you driving?” he asks, frowning still.

“ _You know, when I get home we can go and take a look at college possibilities. What do you think? I can arrange something at MIT.”_

“Dad, I don’t- “

_“Listen, son, I need to go now. I’ll be home soon and we’ll talk about it, good?”_

“Dad!”

But the suit turns around.

“ _I’m sorry, Mr. Stark is no longer connected_ ,” FRIDAY’s familiar voice says. Peter reaches out for her before she can fly off.

“FRI, can you just- is he alright? To drive, I mean?”

FRIDAY stays quiet for a bit, hovering above the ground for a moment.

“ _Mr. Stark’s parameters are in order, though he’s driving at a speed that’s much higher than the allowed limit,”_ she tells him. “ _Goodbye, Peter.”_

Then, FRIDAY flies off at last, leaving Peter on the playground with a wet suit and no possible way to get home other than walking. Peter sighs, and then starts on his journey back.

That’s when he finds a part of the strange gun that fell out of the car during the chase. He kneels down to observe it a bit, finding a purple glow coming out of it. That’s probably the power source, Peter’s mind tells him. Before he can pick it up, Ned’s ringtone comes up again. Peter picks up immediately this time.

“Hey, man, I was on my way back,” Peter assures him. It can only be for that reason that he’s calling, right? To ask where Peter is?

“ _Actually, I was calling to say maybe you shouldn’t come,”_ Ned warns him. Peter frowns underneath his mask. “ _Listen to this_.”

And in the background, Peter can hear Flash riling everybody up with his usual _Penis Parker_ comedy.

“ _Sorry, Peter. I guess we’re still losers,”_ Ned then comes back, sounding actually apologetic about it. Peter shakes his head, letting out a sigh. “ _I’ll see you tomorrow.”_

“See you tomorrow, bud,” Peter answers, and then he hangs up. He’s got other things to worry about than Flash, after all. And as he picks up the piece of the gun, his Dad’s voice rings through his mind one time.

_If you come across these weapons again, just call Happy._

Huh, as if. Just because Peter is Tony Stark’s kid doesn’t mean that the chauffeur seems to overly like him. When Peter talks to him, Happy just gives him this stare that clearly says ‘ _I don’t care’._ It could be Peter’s imagination, but just as much as he likes Happy, he knows he’s not the man’s favorite person.

 _A funny way of showing_ , Tony said. As if.

So he starts walking back, first to Liz’ house to pick up his stuff on the roof. Then back home, to take a closer look at the purple glowing thing.

He can take care of this, himself. He can prove it.

He’ll make his Dad proud.

 

* * *

 

 

Tinkering at school and then coming across one of the criminals from yesterday, Peter dares to say that his school day was everything but dull. He and Ned come to the agreement to meet up after school, but before Peter heads back home, he needs to make a quick stop at the Compound.

He knows, he doesn’t like the emptiness in there, but he’s been avoiding the place, and thus Vision, for such a long time now, and he’s already feeling like a crappy friend again. So after telling Happy to get him to the Compound first, Peter ends up finding himself in the place where all the Avengers used to live together.

Remembering how everybody would be training outside when Peter arrived, Peter now feels something hollow coming across an empty field. There’s no Natasha to greet him. No Steve to slap him on his back and laugh at his stupid jokes. There’s no Clint, whose humor is even worse than Peter’s.

He’s all alone, he quickly realizes.

“Hey, FRIDAY, is Vision here today?” Peter asks, knowing that FRIDAY is still linked up here.

“ _I’m sorry, the Vision just left to join Sergeant Rhodes at his doctor's appointment,”_ FRIDAY tells him, apologetic. Peter sighs. So he made the journey for nothing. Ah, well, since there’s nobody here other than the doctors, Peter figures he might as well take another look at how Harry’s doing.

Seeing that Tony doesn’t want Peter near the boy, Steve had given him an alternative way on catching up. Knowing that he’s, for now, not allowed at the secluded ward, Peter hurries back to Steve’s office.

It looks almost exactly the same as when he left it; the daylight shines through the windows, making the room bright even on a rainy day. Only during the evening did Steve ever turn on the lights. The desk is clean, neat. Steve always liked to keep it that way, being pretty much the exact opposite of Tony on that front. When Peter sits down on the black desk chair, he comes across the transparent computer screen. He knows how to turn it on, so he leans forward to do so.

And that’s when Peter realizes there _is_ something different.

With a frown, he leans towards opened the FedEx-package, giving it a quick look and seeing that it’s addressed to Tony – taking aside the fact that Steve managed to make his ‘r’ look like an ‘n’ in his haste of writing. There’s an old, black phone inside of it, along with a letter with Tony’s name is written on. Peter frowns. Why is this here?

He picks up the letter and opens it up. He doesn’t care if he’s not supposed to read it. If this is in Steve’s office, it has to be from him, right? Quickly, he starts.

> _“Tony, I don’t know where to begin with this letter; there’s so much I want to tell you. Let me start with how glad I am that you have Peter now. I don’t like the idea of you rattling around in the tower by yourself. We all need family. Peter is yours._
> 
> _I’ve been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. My faith’s in people, I guess. Individuals. And I’m happy to say that, for the most part, they haven’t let me down. Which is why I can’t let them down, either. Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn’t._
> 
> _I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents yet, I was sparing you. I can see now that I was really sparing myself. And I’m sorry. Sorry for hurting you, sorry for not talking to you. I need you to know that I meant it, every time, when I told you that I love you. Because I still do, please never forget that._
> 
> _I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I’m sad that they got to stand between us; it’s such a stupid concept, now that I think of it. I know you’re doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do. That’s all any of us should._
> 
> _So, no matter what, I promise you. If you need us, if you need me, if Peter needs me, I’ll be there._
> 
> _With love, Steve.”_

Peter lets out a shaky sigh, realizing that there’s a tear rolling from his eye. When did Steve even send this? Peter turns the letter around, trying to find anything else written. All he can find is a series of numbers. It looks like… a PIN?

Peter takes the flip-phone out of the package, looking it over. He’s never worked with this kind of thing before, but he remembers Aunt May having one once. Trying out a few buttons, he manages to turn on the screen eventually.

Putting down the PIN as written on the letter, his feeling of relief is endless when it’s accepted. Peter messes a bit with it, trying to find how it works. But eventually, he stumbles across the contacts on it.

There’s only one number. And Peter knows who that is.

He doesn’t think; all he does is pressing the number, and then quickly putting his thumb on the green button. When he puts the device against his ear, he breathes out heavily when he hears the line going over.

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

_“Hello?”_

Peter draws out another shaky breath. Because that’s Steve. _Steve_. The man he hasn’t spoken to for the past two months. The man he’s been missing all this time. The second father he’s found himself without even searching for it.

“ _Tony? Why did you call? Is there something wrong?”_

Peter shakes his head, but Steve can’t see it.

“I- uh, it’s Peter,” he then says. Doesn’t need to keep Steve in this tension. There’s a short silence, and then some shuffling sounds.

“ _Peter, how- uh, how did you get this number?_ ” Steve asks, curiously.

“I was, uh, I found it in your office. Tony left it here. I was going to check up on Harry and-“ he stops talking. His heart is beating like crazy, because he’s _talking to Steve_! Holy crap! “Ho-how’re you- how have you been? Where are you?”

“ _I can’t tell you that, Peter. I’m sorry. I’m fine, though, we all are,”_ Steve tells him sadly. Peter sighs but nods. Of course, he should have guessed that. “ _How are you? How is Tony? He hasn’t called.”_

“Yeah, he, uh… He’s not doing too well, though he’s trying not to show it,” Peter admits. “He’s in India somewhere, now. I don’t know where, though.”

“ _I know. He’s there on business for the accords. They’re trying to change them, since they’ve obviously failed_ ,” Steve explains. Peter likes that about him; he never holds back on that kind of information. “ _We’ve got somebody there, as well. They’re working on getting us all together to talk it through, but there’s still much to do.”_

“Let me guess, Tony doesn’t want to talk to you?” Peter asks. Steve then snorts.

 _“You know him,”_ Steve responds. “ _He’s been talking with Natasha, and Sam, too. But the others, not really.”_

Peter nods, leaning back a bit in his chair.

“ _So, uh, how is school going?”_

Peter smirks a bit and then puts his feet on the desk, only remembering afterwards that Steve wouldn’t like that. But Steve isn’t here, so there’s nobody here that is going to punish him for it.

“School’s fine. Ned and I are still losers, but we’re okay with it. At least I am. It’s not like I’m going to see any of them again after I graduate,” Peter admits.

“ _And no girl that has caught your attention?”_ Steve then asks teasingly. “ _Or boy, I don’t mean to assume.”_

“No, no, there’s no girl. OR boy, for that matter. I’m not really… searching for a girlfriend, either,” Peter admits. And it’s the truth, he’s everything but looking for a relationship. Even if Liz is searching for one with him… Will he be able to avoid her, after failing to attend her party so miserably? Maybe she’ll be angry at him? Who knows.

“ _And you don’t have to, Peter,”_ Steve says, though he sounds like he’s laughing a bit. Peter doesn’t know, he can’t see him from here. “ _I need to go now, son. I promise, I’ll do my best to come home soon. It depends on your Dad, of course.”_

“It’s alright, I’ll get some sense into him,” Peter jokes. He doesn’t really want Steve to hang up, but it’s inevitable now. If Steve needs to go, he needs to go.

But… if Tony keeps the phone here, packed in this box… that would mean that he’s not using it, right? He wouldn’t even notice if Peter keeps the phone, then?

“I’ll, uh, I’ll keep the phone with me? Dad keeps it in the box all the time, so I don’t think he’ll notice it’s gone.”

“ _Alright, but be careful. And don’t forget the charger, it should be somewhere in the box.”_ Peter tips the box over completely, and indeed a cable on an adaptor falls out of it.

“Alright. Talk to you later, Steve.”

“ _Bye, son.”_

The Steve hangs up, and Peter sighs. He supposes he should be doing what he was supposed to do here. He starts up the computer, watching Harry’s progress, but with Steve still on his mind.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!  
> Chapter warnings  
> \- Post-accords business  
> \- Peter makes wrong choices  
> \- Tony has more family than he realizes

Tony Stark tells Pepper and Peter that he went to India for Stark Industries business.

It’s not a complete lie, to be honest; Pepper can easily look up if there’s some business deal that needs to be worked out there, so it wouldn’t make sense to make it up.

It’s just that he’s been using India as an excuse to get some other business finished. Though, after Peter’s stunt of falling in the lake surrounded by a drowning parachute, Tony realizes he can’t stay here for _too_ long, either.

The kid is reckless, probably even more so now that Tony knows about him. Now that he has the suit…

Tony often still wonders if it was the right thing to do to let him keep it. Peter searches for the danger, and never really avoids it. That’s what he’s gathered from watching him in the past. Where, at first, it had seemed like a good, strong quality, now all Tony can really do is continuously worry about him. He figures May doesn’t know it yet, otherwise she would never even let him leave the house.

Tony has been close to giving him house-arrest, too. But given Iron Man, that would be hypocritical of him, so he doesn’t.

Stopping the car in front of a secluded house – an address that was sent him anonymously through text, even though Tony can bet everything that it came from Romanoff – Tony takes off his sunglasses and pulls the flower crown from his neck. He’s been pretending to enjoy himself on the party, but now he doesn’t have to anymore. These people know everything – at least what they’ve known since before they left.

Tony steps out of the car, keeping his glasses close since it’s his only link with his newest Iron Man suit. Locking the car, he gives the hot sun another glare before walking up the stairs. It’s hot – extremely hot. It’s one of the reasons he’s chosen for a white suit instead of a black one.

He knocks on the door, using the code Romanoff gave him. Two quick knocks, three long knocks, five quick knocks. Then the door opens up, revealing none other than Black Widow herself, though she’s looking different than normal.

“Well, I preferred the red hair,” Tony says in honesty. Natasha looks back at him, unimpressed. Her once red curls now straightened out and bleached into a light platinum blonde. It’s been cut shorter again, and from afar, she would not be recognized. Probably, in combination with her identity mask, she can get away anywhere, despite being a wanted fugitive.

“Everybody’s a critic,” she then says, shrugging. “You’re alone?”

“What do you think? That I would bring my seventeen-year-old son with me when school’s started again?” Tony snaps. He should really hold it in, but he’s not really in the mood for that.

“Jeesh, you’re in a bad mood,” Natasha says, opening up the door to let him in. The moment Tony’s through, she locks it again, the tension in her shoulders disappearing again immediately.

“Yeah, you try having a teenager. They’re lots of trouble,” Tony mutters.

“What did he do?” Natasha asks. Tony shakes his head. Natasha doesn’t know about Peter being Spider-Man. Nobody does. Tony figures it’s his own job to tell them that.

“Nothing he can’t explain when the time comes. Who else is here?”

Natasha leads him through the hallway. She nods thankfully to the family that resides here, who have given her the permission to meet up at their house. Tony wonders how she came across them, but he decides he’s not going to ask. He’s not _that_ interested.

“Wilson only,” she says.

“Rogers?”

“Wouldn’t come unless you asked for him,” Natasha says. Tony nods, glad for that. He _did_ say that he didn’t want to see him for now. Natasha must have passed the message along.

To be honest, Tony wants nothing more than to see Steve. He misses him, so much that it constantly hurts the scar on his chest. He’s on a permanent feeling of suffocation, and at night the nightmares have become too real now that there’s no Steve there beside him.

But he knows that they’ll fight again. He knows that he’ll be weak, and he’ll cry, and he’ll then forgive him and they’ll pretend that nothing happened. But that’s not true; too much happened, and Tony can’t ignore that.

“Good,” Tony says, and Natasha sighs.

“Tony, he’s respecting your wishes even though he’s hurting. Are you _ever_ going to give him another chance?”

Tony gives Natasha a long look before scoffing.

“Last I remember, you were with him during the whole fall of SHIELD. You, as much as he, could have told me _anything_.

Natasha nods, not lowering her head.

“I could have, but the state that you were in? The drinking? The destructive behavior? It just _screamed_ ‘bad idea!’. So I chose not to tell you, and so did Steve. That’s my choice, and I stick to it.”

Tony throws her a glare, but decides not to act on it again. They’re here to talk things through, _not_ to start another fight. So he walks through the door Natasha’s pointing at, and sits himself down a chair without waiting for an invitation. He nods shortly at Wilson, before looking around a bit.

The room looks beautiful. Tony doesn’t know much about culture and religion in India, but he can recognize the small statues of the gods. There’s Ganesh, Shiva…  The others, he doesn’t know by name. The table is made of a beautiful wood, and it’s covered by a sheet with tiny, detailed motives. The people here might not be the richest of the world, but Tony can’t help but admire the room they’ve made for themselves here.

“Stark”, Wilson greets him. There’s no animosity between them, which is alright by Tony. After all, Wilson didn’t know about his parents. The only thing the two of them disagreed on were the accords, and that exactly is why Tony is here, now.

“Wilson,” he greets back. “You got the copy with you?”

Wilson nods, holding up the book to show it to Tony. Last month, Tony passed along a copy of the Accords to Natasha, which she was to pass back along to Steve and his gang. It had been suggested by a few members of the UN – the ones who had pulled Ross off the whole business and assigned a new secretary of State. They haven’t been happy with how everything has happened, and they agree the Avengers are _too_ important not to have by their side. Instead of wanting to prosecute the remaining members of the group, they want a chance to come to an understanding, an agreement on the accords. So they want to arrange a meeting with everybody.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. As a temporary solution, they’ve just come to the idea that Tony would pass along a copy, and that they would make their notes in there.

Which they’ve clearly done. Passing the book along to Tony, the engineer opens it up to cast a quick look inside of it.

“Who?” Tony asks, not bothering to ask the question completely. Wilson understands it, anyway.

“Steve, Wanda, Scott, Clint and me,” Wilson says. Tony looks up, only slightly.

“No Barnes?” he asks, a bit surprised for it. Then Sam shoots one short glance at Natasha, who is seated somewhere to Tony’s right. The look is quick, but Tony understands enough with it, remembering how, back in the hospital, she addressed the man as ‘James’.

“Barnes is… out of commission for now,” Sam admits. “His choice was to be put back under cryo until there’s a way to fix his brain.”

Sam shoots another small glance towards Natasha. Tony, too, gives her a quick look, finding her staring ahead without as much as an expression. She’s good at keeping poker faces, but right now, the fact that she’s putting one up is indication enough that she’s trying to hide something.

Just when Tony is about to call her out for it, Sam brings them back to the point.

“These changes we’ve made… it’s all or nothing. There’s no in-between. If even _one_ thing is refused, we won’t sign.”

Tony clears his throat.

“You know it’s _your_ freedom you’re playing with here, right?” Tony asks. He casts another short look, finding something in there that he doesn’t quite disagree with.

_Underage, enhanced persons are not obligated to sign on the accords unless they’ve come to a legal age to be considered adults._

That _has_ been lacking in the previous accords. And he knows they’re talking about Wanda, but it applies to Peter just as much.

Peter, who is really taking his chances by taking cases he shouldn’t be taking. If he keeps on pursuing these weapons… Tony doesn’t want him involved with this. Not at all.

“I’ll try my best to get it through them. If they agree on _everything_ here, you’ll sign?” he asks. Sam nods.

“Yes,” he assures him. Tony clears his throat and nods then, too. He grabs the book closer and starts to stand up again before letting out another sigh. Then he leans back in his seat and shakes his head.

“Tony?” Natasha asks, suddenly worried.

“How is he?” he asks before he can stop himself. He doesn’t need to clarify who he’s talking about. They’ll know. Natasha closes her mouth, and Sam tilts his head forward a bit.

“Not really too well, though he doesn’t try to let it show. He’s much like you, on that front,” Sam admits. Then he takes a deep breath. “And he misses Peter, too.”

Tony snorts, but there’s no humor in it. He can only laugh at the idiocy in this whole situation. It suddenly sounds so simple, and for a moment Tony regrets not taking Peter along and inviting Steve to come. Right now, he doesn’t care about his own well-being. He just wants his son to get another chance at seeing Steve again.

“Peter misses him, too,” Tony says. Then he stands up after all. He shouldn’t be here for too long, it’s not safe. “Tell, uh… tell him Peter’s doing okay.”

Then Tony heads out again, not able to stay here for much longer. He makes his way back to the front door, but right when he wants to open it again, Natasha stops him by putting a hand on his arm.

“Tony,” she says. “Stop hurting yourself like this.”

Tony lets out a deep sigh. Then he turns around.

“Were you ever going to tell us? About you and Barnes?”

Natasha pulls away as if Tony’s skin is suddenly burning. With eyes open wide, she stares at him, her mouth fallen open. Just when she’s about to ask how he knows, Tony shakes his head.

“I might have been knocked down back at HQ, but I heard you when you were fighting him. You two knew each other in the past, didn’t you?”

Natasha closes her mouth. She doesn’t respond otherwise. Tony takes a deep breath.

“Looks like we’re both hopeless when it comes to the matters of the heart,” he says, copying Natasha’s words. The thing she told him when Pepper was going to break up with him. The sentence Tony thought was about Bruce, while in fact he now knows better.

It was Barnes. It was always Barnes.

Leaving a shocked Natasha behind him, Tony exits the house at last. Speeding almost immediately, Tony hurries away from the road, wanting to be away from here as quickly as possible.

He receives the file the day he arrives at the tower after his trip in India. There’s no sender, nothing to tell him who it comes from. Not that he needs it; the first page is explanation enough.

 _“_ Romanoff, you sneaky girl,” Tony mutters with a smirk. “When exactly did this arrive?”

 _“Peter brought it up about an hour ago before he left,”_ FRIDAY says. “ _Though who gave it to him isn’t exactly clear.”_

Tony pulls up the security footage of when it arrived, seeing a figure standing handing the file to Peter, who doesn’t seem like he’s suspecting anything. He couldn’t even say it’s Natasha he’s talking to. Poor boy.

“Couldn’t even give him a hint, couldn’t you?” Tony mutters to himself. He, of course, recognizes the blonde haircut and is aware Natasha owns the face-mask. “Where’s Peter now?”

 _“He’s at his Aunt for the next few days_ ,” FRIDAY tells him. Tony nods.

“Alright, let’s read through this, then,” he mutters, opening the file and starting at the very [beginning](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12954996/chapters/29614500).

 

* * *

 

 

Despite it only being October, Peter finds that the Decathlon team is always busy. With weekly practice sessions, in which he’s barely been paying any attention to be honest, he’s already given along the news that he wouldn’t be joining them to Washington.

Isn’t it his luck that he would need to be in Washington, then?

Flash wasn’t happy that he would rejoin them after all. But that’s mostly because Flash only got Peter’s place in one of the seats. He had been on reserve after all, since even Peter knows he’s the smartest on the team. He can understand why Gwen was with them, once.

The coach invites him back in with open arms, and before Peter knows it, with barely any baggage with him, he’s on the bus on his way to Washington, being questioned by Liz who is trying to keep everybody sharp.

He’s actually feeling excited right now; knowing all of the answers. Everybody is on a roll – except for Flash, who isn’t really all that great at all. Ned is somewhere in the back with the excuse to be reading a very fascinating book. In fact, he’s just making sure that the guys they’ve been tracking haven’t just started moving again.

Michelle doesn’t pay any attention to him, but Liz does. A bit flustered when she passes along her questions from her cards, she barely even dares to look at him as she expresses how glad she is he’s back. Peter lets out a small breath and nods at her.

“Glad to be back,” he says. He comes to realize that, if he’d been a normal kid that would never have gotten his powers, this is probably something very exciting that would be happening in his life. Of course, he’s Tony Stark’s son and also has kind of been living with the Avengers for a few weeks, so normal isn’t really something he can relate to, anymore.

Feeling a sudden vibration in his pocket, Peter snatches out his phone from his pants. On the cracked screen, a picture of Happy shows up – one Tony once took for him. With sudden panic, he realizes he’s being called. In the meantime, Liz is asking another question.

“Hey, uh, I’m going to take this real quick, okay?” Peter asks. Barely looking at Peter, Liz nods.

“Yeah, fine,” she says, without trying to pay too much attention to him.

Peter hurries to the back, heading towards Ned who looks like he’s asleep. On the other side of the line, he can hear noises.

“ _I got a blip on my screen here, you left New York?”_ Happy asks. Peter pulls his phone away, suddenly remembering Tony telling him there’s a tracker on his suit. Crap, how could he have forgotten about that? Of course he would know where Peter is!

“Uh, yeah, no, it’s just a school trip,” Peter quickly explains. “It’s nothing- look, Happy I got to say; you tracking me without my permission is a complete violation of my privacy.”

That’s when Ned looks up at him, unimpressed, and points towards the tracking device.

“That’s different,” Peter whispers at him.

“ _What’s different?”_ Happy asks, obviously having heard that.

“Uh, nothing, look; I- it’s just the Academic Decathlon. No big deal!”

“ _Hey, hey, hey! I’ll decide if it’s no big deal,”_ Happy warns him. Peter rolls his eyes and leans back against the wall of the bus, giving Ned another look with an eyeroll. Ned only snorts shortly. “ _Sounds like it’s no big deal, but remember I’m watching you!”_

“Why are you even interested? I thought you didn’t like me that much?” Peter asks then, trying to get something out of Happy now that he’s actually gotten a few words out of him.

 _“I’m not interested; Tony is. I’m not going to be the one to tell him I lost his kid,”_ Happy counters.

“Hey, man, I’m seventeen, you know?”

“ _A seventeen-year-old with a super-suit who crawls on walls. I’m not keeping my eyes off my screen until Tony’s back home and I can pass this little job back along to him.”_

Then Happy hangs up, and Peter rolls his eyes again. He leans a bit to the side to check along on the holographic map coming from the device.

“Hey, uh, Ned. Any chance you brought your laptop along?” Peter asks, trying to sound casual about it. Ned frowns.

“Why?” he asks. Peter bites his lip.

“I’ll explain later, okay?”

Of course, once they’re in their hotel room, and Peter has dropped the suit on the bed with multiple little tools lying around, he hands Ned the cable that will connect the suit to the computer.

“Peter, why are we removing the tracker from your suit?” Ned asks. Peter, with a flashlight in his mouth and a screwdriver trying to get a few things loose. Trying to answer Ned’s question, he takes the light from his mouth, but continues turning the screw around.

“Uh, because I got to follow these guys to their boss before they’re moving him, and… I don’t really want my Dad to find out,” Peter admits. Ned gives him a confused stare.

“So… you’re lying to Iron Man now?” he asks, not understanding. Peter sighs again.

“No, I’m not lying. He’s just too worried about me to really know what I can do yet,” he assures him. Then, with his pincer, he picks up the tracker, finding that it comes loose easily. With a smirk, he puts it on the lamp. After spending months building this suit, he knows pretty much how it works, but he can’t recall agreeing with Tony to put a tracker inside of it. He’s sure it wasn’t Tony’s intention to be stalking him, but more in case of emergencies.

And in one hand, he realizes that he might regret this sooner or later, but right now… he can’t really have Tony interfering again. Whatever his reasons are not to want him pursuing this man, he’s severely underestimating Peter’s powers. How does everybody seem to keep on forgetting the Lizard or Electro?

Maybe it’s the fact that Harry keeps on trying to kill him, and has almost succeeded at it three times already… It’s probably that. But Peter’s had training now. Not for long, granted, but enough that Widow taught him the good tricks. He’s better in hand-to-hand now than he’s ever been!

“There’s a ton of other sub-systems in here,” Ned says, smirking a bit. “They’re all disabled, though. It’s called the ‘Training Wheels Protocol’.”

What? Peter jumps up to take a look at the screen, frowning immediately when he sees what Ned is talking about.

“Turn it off!” Peter almost orders him, only getting a headshake from Ned in return.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, they’re probably blocked for a reason?” Ned points at the multiple programs, all of them disabled. Peter suddenly starts to understand where all of the other ideas for the suit might have gone to. After all, he’s been working for such a long time on this; it’s only logical that there’s _much_ more to offer?

“Oh, c’mon man, I don’t need training wheels!” Peter complains. He jumps on the bed as he swings his arms around, feeling too active to just be lying down there. Ned still hesitates, though. “I’m sick of him treating me like a kid all the time, it’s not cool!”

“But… you are a kid?” Ned offers.

“Yeah a kid who can stop a bus with his bare hands!”

“Peter, I don’t think this is a great idea,” Ned continues, looking actually uncertain about this. “I mean, what if this is illegal?”

Peter then gives him a dry stare.

“Ned, this is _my_ suit. I’ve built it with my Dad a few months ago. I think I get to have say in this, don’t you think?” Peter then throws himself from his bed, back on the ground. “Please, this is my chance to prove myself to him.”

Ned looks for a moment longer, but then sighs.

“I mean, even if I wanted to, I can’t. This is _Tony Stark_ we’re talking about. I’m just a kid, I can’t bypass his systems?”

And Peter suddenly feels extremely bad. Not in a sick way, but in a _bad_ way. His insides turn from it at the idea of even doing this, but on the other side it gives him an immediate thrill as well.

“If, uh… If I give you the code to bypass them, will you do it?” Peter asks. He’s just being polite here, because even if Ned will refuse, Peter can just do it himself. Ned holds up his hands in surrender.

“This really isn’t a good idea,” he says, but then he motions for Peter to go on.

So Peter cites him the override code, and there’s another thrilling wave going through him after it’s finished.

But at the same time, he feels like he’s close to puking, too.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony Stark doesn’t sleep.

He figures it’s guilt, but by now he doesn’t even know what he’s feeling guilty about anymore. Is it the fact that he’s been finding it difficult to talk to Peter (because he chased Steve away from their lives)? Or is it because he _chased Steve from their lives_? It could be because he’s been a complete asshole towards the few friends he has left, though of course ‘friends’ should be changed into ‘friend’, and maybe just be limited to ‘Natasha Romanoff’, who surprisingly didn’t kill him on the spot, but instead provided him a look into her past.

One he doesn’t know he would have wanted to know.

After having caught up with the news about what Peter did in Washington, Tony wants to call him. There’s much he wants to tell him; that he’s proud, that he knew he would become someone great. But he finds it harder than he’d expect.

Having never really gotten on the receiving side of compliments given by his father, Tony hasn’t much to go on when it comes to parenting. Sure, his mother has been there a small bit for him, but mostly it’s been Tony chasing after Howard and always ending up with a door slammed in his face.

No wonder he turned to Jarvis and Aunty Peggy after a while.

Sharon is looking at him with raised eyebrows. Tony knows he’s looking horrible, but he wouldn’t have thought it’d be this bad. They’re at the table. Sharon brought food, Tony provided the drinks, and they’ve been talking about something for the past hour.

But what was it about?

“Tony, are you alright?” Sharon asks, putting down her knife and fork and adjusting herself in her seat. Tony blinks a few times before looking to the side, seeing a few empty chairs around them, but only two that matter.

“Uh, yes, I’m okay,” he lies. He knows he’s not okay, but what is he going to say? He can’t explain it all to Sharon now, can he? Not when Steve made such a big deal of it already when they _were_ still together. “Just… Peter hasn’t called yet, and I’m a bit worried.”

Sharon reaches up her hand until it’s covering Tony’s. Her friendly, brown eyes give him a sympathetic look.

“I’m sure he’s fine. You said he was on his way back, right? Who’s picking him up?”

“Uh,” Tony mumbles, looking down at his plate. “May said she would do it. She’s been worried sick.” He remembers his call with her, how scared she’d been on the other side of the line. Tony wouldn’t take away her chance to pick him up if it gives her a sense of comfort.

“That’s not all that bothers you, is it?” she asks, because she’s all knowing – something she shares with Aunty Peggy.

“It’s… nothing, really. Peter and I… we took a beat. I don’t really know how to act around him anymore, and it’s not his fault, it’s my own,” Tony admits, clutching too tightly to his glass. Then he downs it all at once, swallowing the sweet taste of the wine. It’s a good one, he chose well this time.

“What happened between you two, Tony?” she asks, eyes still full of worry. Tony looks up slightly, feeling extremely guilty at the idea of keeping everything quiet. But it’s what Steve would want, no?

But, why does he keep on doing what Steve would want? He didn’t care enough about _him_ to tell him the truth. What’s holding Tony back to just announce their past few months together to the whole world?

Oh, right, he’s not that much of an asshole.

“The team, everything. They were family, and now they’re gone. And it’s been hard on both of us, because Peter was actually friends with Wanda, and Natasha’s gone, too, and then there’s Steve-“

Then he stops, eyes meeting Sharon’s, who is trying to act like the name doesn’t bother her. Tony hasn’t heard from the kissing experience on her side, but then again, she wouldn’t exactly go to _him_ about it all. She has her friends to do that with.

Besides, who would want to talk about kissing a guy who ends up sobbing because of it?

“Listen, Sharon, I need to know; did they give you any trouble?” Tony asks, and Sharon bites her lips before she looks down again. Because it can’t be that she got away with bringing Steve and the others their weapons. They would know somebody did it, and given that she was seen talking to him at the funeral, her bosses will only assume.

“Uh, actually, I’ve lost my job,” she says, trying to chuckle it away. The wetness in her eyes indicates that she’s trying her best to hide the tears, but Tony knows her too well for that. He remembers the few times she came to him, in tears because her boyfriend from that time dumped her, and she didn’t have any sisters or brothers to go to. “It appears somebody saw me. They’re not going to arrest me or anything, but I was fired immediately.”

Tony reaches out his hand and rests it on her shoulder. This is wrong; this shouldn’t have happened. Sharon deserves better than that.

Then, with actual tears in her eyes, Sharon turns her head to the side to hide them away.

“Can you believe it? I risked my job… because of a stupid crush,” she says, hollow laugh following suit. Tony feels something heavy in his throat, because that’s _exactly_ what he did, too. Only he didn’t get caught.

Or maybe they knew about it? Maybe his trouble will come, eventually?

“Hey, Munchkin,” Tony says softly, squeezing her shoulder. “Steve’s just got that effect on people. It’s the eyes, I tell you.”

With his other hand, Tony rubs his scar. He’s been doing that too often, lately. At least the bruising from the shield is gone, but in the end, Tony will always feel it.

“I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t know you two were together,” Sharon then says. “You never told me.”

Tony pulls his hand away immediately, as if touching her burned him. He clears his throat before dropping his gaze. What- how- how did she know? Tony never told her? He’s pretty sure Peter hasn’t been meeting up with her in secret!

“He- uh… he told me, after I- you know,” Sharon admits. “Said that you were together, that he couldn’t do it to you. Then he started crying, because he thought he lost you.”

“He did lose me,” Tony says, lowly. “He did all that by himself.”

Sharon takes a breath and rubs her eyes. Then she shakes her head, opening her mouth to speak but thinking better of it. “I got contacted by SHIELD. You know how they’ve been getting it back up since the HYDRA-disaster?”

Tony nods.

“Well, I was approached by one of their agents. Asked me if I wanted to get back in. They’ll give me a clean slate, making it as if I never left SHIELD,” she says. Tony reaches to take a drink, but one look at the wine-glass makes him change his mind. He shouldn’t be drinking.

“You’ll be Agent 13 again?” he asks. Sharon nods.

“SHIELD’s legal again. They’ve erased all trace of HYDRA within themselves. And there’s a whole lot of trouble with all this talk about _Inhumans_ and whatever else. Remember the fish-pill disaster?”

Tony does. All the Avengers had been in tension about it, but there was just nothing they could do about it other than apprehend a few of the people who suddenly ended up super-powered. Not that they were all bad, but they just didn’t know how to control everything yet.

“Sharon, if you think that this is the right thing to do, then you should do it. If you say SHIELD’s back, I believe you. Of course, I’m going to keep tabs on them, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Sharon says, grinning.

The two give each other a wide smile, and then they continue their dinner. Tony doesn’t touch his glass at all, his mind on Peter each time he eyes the red wine inside of it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going down!
> 
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Peter tries his best, but he doesn't succeed  
> \- Yes I was misquoting Coldplay, sue me  
> \- Tony has to make decisions  
> \- Sad Peter, Sad Tony  
> \- These fucking accords  
> \- T'Challa is a good bro, but also a sneaky little shit  
> \- Cliffhanger because DUH you know me right ;-)

Peter has detention again. Tony sighs when he gets the news. It’s happening way too often, and he’s got a strange little feeling that it’s kind of his fault.

He agrees with May that he’ll be the one to check on the principal; mostly because May is at work, and Tony’s Peter’s legal dad, anyway. It’s easy to explain. What’s even easier is handing Mr. Morita a contract of confidentiality. The man signs it immediately, still seeming extremely shocked about it.

But when the two agree to get Peter so they can discuss this between the three again, it’s not too long until they realize that Peter ran off.

 _He ran away from detention_!

Given, Tony would have run away, too, if he had to watch continuous videos of Steve like that, but he would have thought Peter to be better than that.

Okay, calm down, take a deep breath. Things have been hard on Peter, too. He’s just trying to get past his anger and grief towards Steve by constantly fighting crime all over New York. Tony can’t be angry at him for that, right?

So he tries to be gentle. He calls him the moment he walks out of the school. Happy is driving, so Tony is sitting in the back. He holds up his phone, front camera having a clear view of his face. _Now, remember Tony, you don’t want to chase him off_. He needs to be gentle.

The moment the line goes over, Tony realizes that he can’t see Peter. He must have his camera turned off, then.

“Mister Parker,” he starts, cursing himself internally after that. _That’s_ not gentle! He takes off his sunglasses. “You got a sec?”

“ _Uh- I’m actually at school_ ,” Peter says, uncertain. Tony refrains himself from rolling his eyes. He knows Peter’s not, because he just came from there. But he won’t mention that, of course.

“We haven’t really spoken since you came back, and I can understand that. You came back late and you probably didn’t want to wake me, and then you’ve been at school…” Okay, he’s rambling. Tony takes a breath. “Just, nice work at DC.”

“ _Ah- okay,”_ Peter responds. He sounds extremely impatient, somehow.

“My dad, he never really… give me a lot of support, and I’m trying to break the cycle of chains-“

“ _Uh, I’m kind of in the middle of something,”_ Peter adds hastily in between Tony’s words. Now, Tony, who is not used to being interrupted like that while giving a compliment, frowns immediately.

“Don’t cut me off when I’m complimenting you,” Tony says. _Gentle, remember?_ “Anyway, great things are about to happe-“

He’s once again interrupted, this time not because of Peter. It’s more the low, Tuba-like sound that does it.

“Peter, what is that?” Tony asks, suddenly starting to lose his cool here. Because he could deal with the fact that Peter is swinging around in New York to fight criminals, but if he’s actually where Tony _suspects_ he is, he’s in for a world of trouble!

 _“Uh, I’m at band-practice?_ ” Peter offers. It’s a weak lie.

Raising an eyebrow, Tony gives the camera a look. He knows Peter can see him. That’s how he built the suit, after all.

But… wait. No, Peter can’t call through his suit yet. That feature hasn’t been activated yet?

“That’s odd, you told me you quit band-practice last year,” Tony says, playing along for now. But the anger inside of him is getting damn stronger each time. “What’s up?”

“ _Uh- I gotta go! End call!”_ Peter suddenly says with his voice a few pitches higher.

“HEY!” Tony shouts, immediately realizing that Peter hung up. With a mouth fallen open and a blank screen looking back at him, Tony feels his breath speed up. What’s up with this kid? Why is he doing the exact opposite of what Tony asks him to do? “Happy, how long until we’re at the compound?”

“Ten more minutes, sir,” Happy says. And Tony curses to himself, because why didn’t he take the suit with him? Sure, a visit to a local high school isn’t much reason to bring such a high-tech suit with him, but obviously, the occasion does arise. Especially with a son who is trying to be a superhero of his own.

“Make it five,” Tony tells Happy, who gives him a grin, nods, and then stamps his foot on the accelerator. The car speeds forward immediately.

Happy makes it in three. By the time they’re there, Tony jumps out of the car, almost stumbling onto his knees in his attempt to run towards the workshop. The suits aren’t in the Tower. They’re Avengers-business, and Tony keeps everything related to the Avengers out of his house. If it was for him, he wouldn’t even be using one of these suits anymore.

But he’s got a feeling that he needs to face Peter on this. They need to have a serious talk.

The moment he’s surrounded by his suit, Tony flies. He knows where to go even before FRIDAY can say it. But that’s the thing, right? Because FRIDAY _can’t_ say it.

“ _Sir, according to my scans, Peter is still in the hotel in DC. I can’t get through to his suit.”_

And that just does it now, doesn’t it? Because Peter can get detention, and he can walk away from it. But right now, Tony realizes that his son has been _hacking_ the suit they’ve built together, because he was too _impatient_ to work up to it.

And it’s impossible to hack the suit. Which means one thing.

Peter used the override.

“FRIDAY, you won’t like it but I’m going to program new override codes. I’ll need to tweak you again a little bit.”

A moment of silence. “ _I understand, sir.”_

How could he? How could he use those codes just like that? It could be dangerous for them to fall in the wrong hands! And Peter just uses it so carelessly, not caring who might hear it. Steve already did. Who knows Ned hasn’t been listening in? Not that Tony doesn’t trust the kid, but come on!

The destruction in front of him is incredible. He can see Peter, his son, hanging in between two parts of the boat, trying to keep them together with his web, muscles straining under his suit.

_What have you done?_

He’ll get a chance to talk to Peter later. First he needs to fix the ship.

So he gives Peter an angry greeting. _Hi, Spider-Man. Band practice, was it?_ Then he ignores him as he starts asking if he can help. Using FRIDAY and the assistance of Veronica to get the ship back together, he’s extremely aware of Peter following him, trying his best to make things right.

But he can’t. He screwed up too much, now.

Adding the last part necessary to put the ship back together, he finally turns to Peter. The people are safe, but he doesn’t want to have this conversation here.

“I think you’ve done enough,” Tony says when Peter asks him what he wants him to do. Then he leaves him on the mast. Peter got himself there, he’ll surely find a way off the ship, too.

Damage control, that’s what Tony needs to do now. He needs to talk to the people, assure them that it wasn’t a trap; that he hadn’t counted on Spider-Man being there when he alerted the authorities. But also to assure them that he’s underage, that he didn’t know any better.

They’re already waiting for him. The FBI must have warned them. The moment Tony enters the room, still in his Iron Man suit, everybody stops talking and turns to look at him, unimpressed. Only one man, Everett Ross, stands up with his hands behind his back.

“Nice of you to join us, Mr. Stark. We were just about to call for you,” he says, greeting Tony, who gets himself out of his suit again.

“I knew where I was needed,” Tony says. It’s all a part of the accords, after all. He did kind of break the rules by showing up as Iron Man, but he only had about five minutes before things would have gotten horribly wrong. “So what’s the status?”

Ross sits down again. That’s when Tony notices the other Ross isn’t present. Good, Tony _really_ doesn’t need to see that asshole. It’s only for the best he got kicked off. It was about time for retirement, after all. Meanwhile, the woman next to Ross drops down her tablet, touches the screen once, and then a hologram shows up.

“We’ve apprehended three men, who have been taken into custody. As far as we know, they’re the buyers, and not the sellers, which means we’re nowhere, _again_.”

Tony nods before sitting down, eyes pointed at the two men and one woman that have been taken in. They look young; not that much older than Peter. A sick feeling goes through him.

“Eh, three is better than none, right?” Tony suggests. The joke doesn’t catch. Ross rests his head on his fist and gives him a long look, which Tony ignores.

“You said Spider-Man was under control,” somebody else says. Tony doesn’t know the man; once in the past they might have been introduced, but now Tony can’t for the life of him remember his name. It’s not like he cares about it, anyway.

“He _was_. I had not taken into account that he’s also a teenager.” And can you blame him? Tony never had to deal with teenagers

“So, it was an error from your side that caused the destruction of a full ferry boat?” Ross asks. Tony doesn’t look back at him.

“Yes,” Tony admits. It’s best to just agree to anything they’ve got.

“You know there’s consequences, right? For the kid?”

Tony sighs. He could have expected that.

“You want him to sign, don’t you?” he asks. All the people in the room give him a knowing look. Of course, they want him to sign.

But then he surprises everyone by shaking his head.

“No,” Tony says. Ross frowns. The woman next to him drops her tablet on the table and gives him a long look.

“ _No_?” Ross asks. “I’m sorry, did I miss the part where this is up for debate? If the kid wants to take on the big guys, he has to play by the rules. We closed our eyes so far because he kept to the little stuff. Things hardly worth mentioning on the television.”

“He’s just a kid!” Tony counters. His kid, but they don’t need to know that for now.

“A kid who needs to follow the rules if he wants to take on the bad guys,” Ross counters. “You see, the only reason I’m here is because I was supposed to have a high-tech weapons-dealer in my custody. You see any high-tech weapons-dealer here?”

 _Holy hell, you’re annoying as shit!_ Tony thinks to himself. He doesn’t say it out loud.

“The kid signs, or he quits. It’s as simple as that.”

A chill goes through Tony. He shakes his head; he can’t do this to Peter. It’s unfair to give him this choice. Signing means revealing his identity to these people. It’s important that nobody else knows. Tony takes a shaky breath.

“What if I take the suit?” he returns. Peter can go back to his old suit. At least, until he’s old enough to understand what he’s dealing with here. “I gave him the suit; it has many more possibilities than his original one. The problem is that he wasn’t supposed to have access to all of them yet.”

“Yet he did?” Ross asks, with an eyebrow raised. Tony passes a look at the other people at the table.

“He, uh, he used override codes to get an early access. The suit then aided him in his search for this Vulture-guy,” Tony clarifies.

“And how did he get access to these codes?” another woman asks. Tony vaguely remembers her calling herself Evelyn Gilette.

“I, uh- he got them from me in case of an emergency,” Tony admits. “Clearly, I was wrong to give them to him.”

Everybody stays quiet after that. Ross keeps his eyes on Tony, and Tony stares right back. He’s not going to back down. Impossible.

“I suggest you tell him to hand back the suit. You’re the most experienced here, so I suggest you hold it until you deem him ready to wear it again,” Gilette says. Ross breaks eye-contact then, turning to the woman with a mouth fallen open.

“Wha-?” he starts, but Gilette holds up her hand.

“I don’t suppose you have children, Everett? In the end, Spider-Man is still a child, and what better way is there to learn a lesson? He’ll learn responsibility this way, and when he earns it, he’ll get his stuff back,” she says. Tony nods. This is really the best-case scenario he can get right now. If it had been Ross’ choice, Peter would have never swung another web in his life.

“But, he needs to understand that the moment he reaches the age of maturity, he’ll have to make his decision on the Accords.”

Tony nods, walking towards Gilette and holding out his hand for her to shake, which she does. After thanking her, Tony turns to get back to his suit. Before he can get far, a hand on his arm suddenly stops him.

“Mr. Stark,” Ross says, pulling his hand away immediately. “This is all good and well, but in the end I’m still missing my prisoner. Your charge screwed it up, so it’s up to you to fix this.”

Tony glares at him, but he keeps his comments to himself. He shouldn’t insult the guy, not when he’s only barely gotten Peter out of trouble.

“Of course,” Tony says. “I’ll stick my AI on it.”

“Stark-“ Ross starts.

“In case you’ve missed it, I have to be in Wakanda regarding the accords tomorrow. So, until then, the AI and the Vision will be on it.”

Then Tony holds up his hand in a wave, turning his back to Ross to finally get back to his suit.

“Talk to you later, Evan,” Tony says, jokingly.

“It’s Everett,” the man counters.

“Whatever you say, darling.”

“Fuck you, Stark.”

 

* * *

 

 

It doesn’t take too long for Tony to find Peter. He never left the port. Tony can see the ship, where everybody is by now evacuated. The ship will be carried off, thrown away. There’s no possible way for them to permanently fix it. Tony’ll have to fund the making of a new ship, too.

These ships… that’s a _lot_ of money. The planes at the airport in Leipzig were also horribly expensive. Tony felt that, the bits that he paid for, too. The damage was partly his fault.

“Previously on Peter’s _Screws The Pooch_. I tell you to stay away from this, instead you hacked a multi-million-dollar suit so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do.”

Tony is rambling. He does that when he’s angry. And he’s literally _pissed off_.

Peter isn’t looking at him. Mask off, Tony can see the shame.

“Is everyone okay?” he asks. Of course, that’s what he asks. It’s still Peter.

“No thanks to you,” Tony says lowly. _Calm down_ , he tells himself. And to think he was just about to give Peter a present for what happened in DC. This whole thing… it just contradicts everything Tony had been thinking. Responsibility, my ass.

But Peter doesn’t take that lightly. He finally turns, and gets himself off the ledge. Then he points towards the boat. The whole scrap of useless junk.

“No thanks to me?” Peter asks, voice shaking. “Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you about it but you didn’t listen! None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me!”

Tony doesn’t respond.

“If you even cared, you’d actually be here.”

Time to prove him wrong. Tony opens up the suit easily. It’s not a perfect suit, in no way finished yet. He hasn’t even worn one since Siberia. It was just supposed to be controlled by FRIDAY, rather than to have Tony steering it.

Funny how these things go, right? Peter takes a few steps back as Tony comes closer

“I did listen, son,” Tony says, trying his absolute best to keep his voice down. “Who do you think called the FBI, huh?”

Peter startles a bit, probably mostly because Tony is actually there. He’s speechless.

“Do you know I was the only one who believed in you? I’m your Dad, of course I’m supposed to believe you. But everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Peter says lowly, and that’s when Tony snaps, at last. For the first time ever since he met Peter, he actually snaps at him.

“No! This is where you zip it, alright?! The _adult_ is talking!” he shouts. “What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right?”

Peter just stares, eyes red.

“’Cause that’s on you. And if you died, who else is to blame but _me_? Do you know what it would have done to me if you would have gotten hurt? Again?”

“I know, dad. I’m sorry,” Peter says, trying so hard to keep his tears in. “I just- I wanted to be like you.”

Tony shakes his head. _Don’t. Don’t achieve to be me. I’m not good. I’m not Steve_.

“And I wanted you to be better,” Tony responds. Then he shakes his head; better to break the bad news. “The big people aren’t happy. There are consequences, both for you and me.”

“Dad, I-“

“The suit, I’m going to need it back,” Tony finally says. He hates himself for doing this, but it’s the only way.

“For how long?” Peter asks. Tony huffs out a breath, going through his hair.

“Forever,” Tony says. It’s probably a bit extreme, but it’s the only way to make Peter understand.

“No!” Peter starts, shaking his head. The tears are threatening to fall down, but he still keeps them back. “No, no, no! Please!”

“I’m sorry, Peter,” Tony says. It falls on deaf ears.

“Please, you don’t understand; I can’t go back to the old suit! This is all I have now; I’m nothing without this suit!”  

And Tony takes a deep breath, reaching for his wrist. It aches again. It always does. _You’re my son_ , he wants to say. _You’re not nothing_. But that wouldn’t help him here. Peter will probably hate him, either way.

“If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it, okay?” he says. God, he sounds like his dad.

“But _why_?” Peter asks, voice high and shaky.

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Tony keeps on rubbing his hand. Only that way, he’ll stay away from his chest. “I thought you were responsible; that’s why I let you keep the suit. But you let it go over your head, you ignored me. You need to understand that things can’t work the way they used to. Things need to be run over with the big people.”

Peter doesn’t respond.

“Peter, it’s this, or you being _forced_ to sign the accords. And if you do that, they’ll know who you are. I chose the lesser of two evils.”

Still no answer.

“Peter, you can at least say something,” Tony finishes, not liking how he’s being ignored here. But the hard look on Peter’s face makes it clear that he’s having trouble keeping everything in. Peter blinks a few times, before nodding.

“I don’t have any other clothes,” he says, and Tony’s heart breaks at the hurt in his voice. He doesn’t like this. Not one bit! Peter’s a good kid, so what if he’s been making a few mistakes lately? He’s a teenager! That’s what they do, for crying out loud.

But, they told Tony to do one thing, and he needs to see this through. Because if he doesn’t, Peter will become part of a whole system Tony desperately wants to keep him out of.

“Let’s get you back home, okay?” Tony asks. Still looking down, Peter nods, tears now actually rolling from his eyes. Jesus, Tony doesn’t like how much the kid’s been crying in the past few months. This shouldn’t happen, he shouldn’t be this sad all the time. So he does what any father should do right now; he pulls him into his arms, and holds him in a strong hug.

And Peter sobs against his shoulder, giving him apologies and holding on to him.

They’ll sort this out. Eventually.

After all, there’s a whole new suit waiting for Peter back in the Compound. And he might not get it as quickly as Tony had been expecting, but one day he will wear it.

 

* * *

 

 

After making a quick stop in the tower to get some clothes for Peter, Tony personally drives him back to Queens.

There’s a slight awkward moment with May; she’s angry she couldn’t reach him the entire evening, Peter skipped detention, Tony personally got him here. That could only mean that he’s been doing crap he shouldn’t do.

But Peter can’t form words. All he does is apologize, bursting out in tears, and allowing May to pull him into her arms. After that, Peter leaves to take a shower, and May and Tony are left in the room together. Tony explains to her that he’s already talked to him, that Peter had his scolding.

Tony leaves for Wakanda the next night. The flight takes about eleven hours, and Tony’s feeling like he’s not at all mentally prepared to go and visit the King of Wakanda to look over the accords. It’s not that he can’t see eye to eye with T’Challa. In fact, they’ve been talking to each other once in a while to arrange this meeting.

Though in the way the King was speaking, Tony wouldn’t be too surprised if the man has ulterior motives to bring Tony all the way to Wakanda instead of visiting himself. Then again, he’s _king_. He can’t just leave his country like that.

Tony sleeps in the plane. He’s tired, exhausted from the day. First all the arrangement at the school, then the ferry… Tony’s feeling like he’s been flying around in circles today. Even now, just to be sure, he has a suit in the plane, easy to access. He doesn’t want to chance another situation where he can’t fly anywhere because he’s missing one.

They’re eight hours into their flight when Tony wakes up again. His neck is stiff, and he could really use a little walk, so he gets up. One small look through the little windows, and Tony sees they’re still above the ocean. He decides not to disturb the pilot. Just a quick little visit to the bathroom.

He tinkers a bit with some devices he brought along to pass his time. He has a phone call with May, tries to contact Peter but fails to catch him. It’s school, he tells himself. Peter won’t pick up. There’s an update from Vision, who says he’s going through all the past sightings of the weapons. It’s a shame they don’t have any facial visuals on the Vulture.

Though Peter saw his face. At least, Tony thinks he did. But he can’t reach him. Tony sighs and puts the phone away.

T’Challa is there to greet him when he lands at a private airport. The two men shake hands, and Tony gets greeted with three kisses on his cheeks. He’s not new to that, so he doesn’t pull away.

“Welcome to Wakanda, Mr. Stark,” the King says, still holding on to his hand in a strong grip.

“Please, your majesty. Tony will be fine,” Tony assures him. T’Challa laughs and then lets go to point towards a car.

“Then it’s T’Challa for you, too,” he says. Tony nods, following the King into the car. The drive isn’t long at all. When he’s offered a glass of champagne, Tony refuses.

“I’m trying to stay away from it,” he offers. T’Challa raises an eyebrow, but then smiles.

“I am happy to hear that,” he says. Despite his strong accent, his English is flawless. “So you have brought the copy with you?”

Tony taps his case with a nod.

“It’s all in here,” Tony says. “After we’ve looked it over and add our suggestions, it’ll be brought back to the leaders.”

“And what about the Soldier? Or the Android?”

Tony sighs.

“Rhodey’s out for the time being. Vision looked it over but didn’t add anything.”

T’Challa nods in understanding. They don’t say anything else until the car stops. Once they’ve exited the vehicle, Tony is guided inside, the two of them surrounded by guards. Tony quickly realizes that he hasn’t even taken the time to look around while they were driving. It’s a shame, apparently Wakanda is supposed to be a highly advanced country. Tony would have loved to get a look at their technology.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to go sight-seeing after we finish this. If I can make a suggestion; the Royal Gardens are a great place to start; especially around three in the afternoon.”

Tony raises an eyebrow at him.

“I’ll take that into consideration,” he says in return. T’Challa just smiles, guiding him through the hallways until he gets to a place that looks mighty much like his office. Once inside, Tony is facing a massive window that gives a wonderful view of the nature outside.

So far, the whole place seems to contradict himself. If Tony wouldn’t have known about the advanced technology, he would have expected more… old buildings. What he’s seen so far is only modern looking, standing out with the nature bright and green on the outside. It’s more like the tower, or the Compound. Nothing he would have imagined a palace to be.

“Is that a panther?” Tony asks. T’Challa turns to look to where Tony is staring at. Then he nods.

“Yes, it is,” he answers. Tony makes an impressed face.

“Cool,” he answers, not finding any other words for it. Eventually the two sit down at the desk. Tony opens the case, takes out the book Steve’s group corrected and puts it down on the table. T’Challa, seated in front of Tony, takes it and gives the pages a quick look.

For a few hours, the two work on it, discussing on their agreements with the changes, and adding the things they would change as well. There’s not much Tony can remark on it. The only things he mostly wants changed is the rules on minors, who shouldn’t be allowed to sign as long as they’re not considered adults.

And he tells T’Challa so. He agrees.

Around half past two, they finish. For about five hours, they’ve been at it, and Tony’s pretty much done with it. He rolls his neck a bit to loosen it, stretches his arm, and then rubs his left wrist again.

“Is it still troubling you?” T’Challa asks, probably remembering Tony hurting it a few months back.

Tony shrugs.

“It, uh. I had a small fracture. We noticed it a bit late, so it wasn’t immediately put into a cast. Mostly, I’ve gotten this brace I don’t particularly like wearing since it keeps me from working,” Tony admits. He takes the wrist brace out of his case and shows it to T’Challa.

“As far as I know, if the doctors give you something, it’s usually to help,” the man says, wisely. Tony just chuckles at that.

“Yeah, uh, I broke a few fingers, earlier this year. Nothing major, and it healed up pretty quickly, but, I don’t know, they’re still a bit stiff so I can’t work on the small stuff as well as before,” he admits. He doesn’t even know why he’s telling him this, not even Steve or Tony know about it. “I suppose it’s just old bones.”

“If you want, I have a couple of good doctors who could take a look?” T’Challa asks. Tony blinks twice before shaking his head.

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like they can stop the aging process, right?”

“That’s right,” T’Challa admits. Tony then stands up.

“Now, uh, you said something about, uh, the Royal Gardens at three?” Tony asks T’Challa smiles and nods.

“Yes, I’ll show you the way.”

The two leave the room. The case stays inside; Tony will get it later, or T’Challa will have it brought to the room he’s staying at. That’s the good thing about being able to stay at the Palace for the coming few days. He only wishes he could have taken Peter along. He might have been able to relax a bit on a holiday.

The two walk together through the hallways until they get to a door that leads them outside. The beginning of the fall hasn’t reached Wakanda just yet, seeing that the temperatures still seem at its highest. It’s probably why T’Challa is walking around in nothing but a light pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt. Tony wisely kept his coat inside, and rolls up his own sleeves.

“Yes, the weather is particularly hot today,” T’Challa agrees when he sees Tony adjust his wardrobe. Before they can walk outside, a person (a butler?) hands both of them a bottle of water. T’Challa thanks the man in his native language, and he gets a bow of the head in return. Tony watches it happen, and then he takes a grateful swing of his bottle. The two start walking again afterwards.

“Now, what makes these gardens so special at three in the afternoon?” Tony asks. Looking around the place, he finds nothing but the beauty of nature. With the sky blue and cloudless, and the plants as green as is possible, he finds himself in some sort of utopia.

There’s a slight relief when they walk on a pathway underneath trees. The sun is cut off from their skin, and the smell of the plants go straight into Tony’s nose. He smells something fruity, and his mouth waters immediately. T’Challa chuckles, plucks something out of a tree above him, and then throws it at Tony, who catches it only barely.

“Well, around this time, the sun reaches a position which illuminates the garden just perfectly. Sometimes artists and photographers come all the way here to put it into an image, but nothing is better than seeing it in person, no?”

Tony smiles a bit. Yes, Tony can imagine Steve sitting here, waiting for the sun to get on the right spot, with his sketchbook on his lap and crayon in his hand. A small wave of sadness goes through him. He clears his throat.

“That, and around three, the gardeners take a break.”

Tony laughs then. He’s about to comment about liking his sense of humor, but then T’Challa’s phone goes off. The King looks down to his pocket, and he fishes out a device that looks maybe even more advanced than the latest Stark Phone. Maybe Tony can get some inspiration in his coming few days here.

“I’m sorry, I need to take this. You just look around, when you’re done you can ask one of my people to help you out.”

Tony nods at him, watching the King walk away as he picks up his phone. Then he lets out a sigh, putting his hands behind his back as he starts walking. One quick look at his watch says that it’s nearly three. One look above, he can see the streams of sunlight getting through the leaves of the trees and he smiles.

He’s never really been one to enjoy nature this way; he prefers the familiarity in modern technology. But once in a while, Pepper used to take him out into the open, whether it was on a holiday or just a walk in Central Park. Tony can appreciate it enough.

He walks the entire pathway, wondering where it will lead him. He hopes he won’t end up getting lost, since he’s not sure he’ll find his way back so easily. He’s surrounded by flowers, but he’s not able to distinguish one from the other.

He walks and walks, until he finds himself on an open field. The sun shines brightly over the water, illuminating almost everything and practically blinding Tony when he looks at it directly. T’Challa hadn’t been kidding, it really looks like some sort of paradise in here.

One short look, Tony can only spot one of these artists T’Challa had been talking about. A white man, with a beard and a cap over his head. Tony can’t see his face, but he looks muscled enough. Should he greet him? Tony puts his hands in his pockets and walks towards the bench.

The moment he nears the man, he looks over his shoulder to take a look at the drawing. It’s not bad at all. The man is using aquarel, and though he’s only just started (it’s only five past three), the garden is already pretty recognizable.

“That looks good,” Tony says with a smile. He’s surprised when the man suddenly startles. The drawing pad flies out of his lap and drops onto the ground. The cup of water he’d been using to wet his brush tips over. “Shit, I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“Tony?” the man asks. And shit, that voice sounds familiar. Too familiar. Tony’s breath shakes, and his first instinct is to put his hand on his scar, which he keeps himself from doing. Even before Steve can turn around to face him, Tony takes a few steps backwards. He can’t do this, he’s not ready to see him. Not yet.

But he’s here. And Tony can’t just walk away, because he knows Steve will go after him, and give him those eyes, and Tony will break.

“Tony, when did you get here?”

Tony’s throat is dry. The same goes for his mouth. He wants to speak, but he can’t.

Because Steve is here, and Tony’s chest is aching as he’s wondering if he should punch him, or hug him. Instead, he stares.

Steve has a beard. It doesn’t look bad, at all.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically it's the next day since it's past midnight. The fact that I'm posting this so soon, next to being crazy impatient, is the fact that I'm not at home the entire day and won't be able to post the chapter before rather late. So, better to have it sooner, I suppose!  
> I'm glad you guys like the story. It wouldn't have been possible without you all. You're amazing <3   
> Also, I'm sorry I'm giving you all this drama. Things really are going to get better after a while. It's just not SOON 
> 
> Chapter warnings:   
> \- Vaguely sexual content (seriously, I'm not really good at writing it)  
> \- Tony makes some decisions.   
> \- Peter in action

_Steve_.

Tony wants to say his name, but the words don’t come out. His mouth is too dry. Or is it that his mind is wiped?

Maybe it’s the ache in his chest? The way it feels like there’s a hundred knives pushed through it.

 _Steve_.

He’s standing there, tall as ever. A loose shirt, skin tanned from the sun. Are those freckles on his cheeks? Tony would love to check it out, but it would be weird to do that. So he stays back.

 _Steve_.

It would be easy to hug him, to kiss him. He’s right there, after all. It’s easy to touch him, to smile at him, to tell him he loves him. It’s so fucking easy.

“Rogers,” comes out. The smile that was building up on Steve’s face disappears again.

“Tony, don’t-“

Tony holds up his hand. Steve needs to stop right now. If he hears even a little bit of his voice, Tony’s mind will probably just explode on the spot.

“T’Challa planned for this. I didn’t know you were here. Wakanda, of all places?” He shakes his head, lets out a shaky breath, and then he turns around on the spot. He only manages to make two steps before he’s stopped again. Steve’s strong hand is on his arm, his skin burning Tony where they’re touching.

“Tony, please, don’t go,” Steve begs of him. Tony turns around immediately. His breath speeds up, his hands are balled into fists.

“ _Don’t go_? That’s rich, coming from you. After all, you’re the one who ran out on us, isn’t it?”

Steve pulls his hand back, eyes sad again, mouth pulled into a thin line. Tony closes his eyes. Another headache comes up. He rubs his forehead, trying to dull the pain a bit.

“You told me to go,” Steve answers quietly. Is his voice breaking? Did he lose weight, too? Steve looks different in many ways.

 _The beard looks good_.

No! No way his mind is going there!

“That’s right, I did. After I found out you’ve been lying to me for two years!”

Don’t. Go. For. The. Chest.

Just don’t.

Tony closes his eyes. He’s rubbing his chest anyway.

“I never lied, Tony. Never to you, I promise,” Steve says. He takes Tony’s hand and pulls it away from the scar. Tony blinks a few times, staring at the place where Steve is touching him. He should pull back. He needs to step back. _Right now_.

But it feels too good. Because Steve is here, and he should just forget about everything and just take him into his arms, because who cares? Who cares if they’ve been fighting? They’ve fought before, and they’ve gotten over it.

 _But my mother? He hid it for two years. All these times, lying in bed, telling each other everything. He could have mentioned it_.

Tony doesn’t pull away. But he doesn’t look at Steve, either.

“I’ve missed you, so much,” Steve tells him. Tony closes his eyes again, taking another deep breath. “I only had the updates from Nat, so how have you been, Tony?”

Tony shakes his head.

“How have I been?” Tony asks. “You know, _one_ break-up was hard enough on me as it is. I guess the only reason I haven’t just completely offed myself is because of my _teenage son_ who has been giving me nothing more than grey hair lately.”

Tony finally pulls his hand away. Then he takes a couple of steps back. Good, get some distance.

“My best friend is paralyzed. My ex-girlfriend had to come and help with the PR since all we got for a while was bad press. My son keeps on ditching detention or almost getting himself killed. And then there’s the fact that the government had me take Spidey’s suit away because he was being too reckless.

“How have I been, Rogers? Horrible! That’s how I’ve been. You happy now? What did you expect? That I would just… get over this so quickly?”

“Have you been taking your medications?” Steve asks in worry. Tony then laughs it out.

“Wh- you _think_ that’s still any of your business?” He should walk away now. Because, unknowingly, he’s getting closer again. Closer to that strong, muscular body. Closer to those perfect lips. Closer to Steve. “You aren’t my _boyfriend_ , Steve. My fucking mental health isn’t any of your concern anymore.”

“We haven’t broken up, Tony.”

“Like _HELL_ we haven’t!”

“As long as I don’t hear the words from your mouth, I won’t accept it,” Steve tells him, stubbornly as always. He crosses his arms, but Tony can see that he’s close to breaking down. Good, let him feel it.

“What words?!”

“As long as you haven’t explicitly said ‘Steve, I’m breaking up with you’, we are not over.”

“Fine! Steve, I’m breaking up with y-“ but he can’t finish the sentence. Here they are again. Fighting. It’s all they’ve been doing lately, isn’t it? Yet he still can’t fucking say it.

He’s been telling himself for the past three months that they’re done. That they’ve broken up and that he has to move on with his life. But as it is now, how can he do it? How can he do any of it without Steve? The man who has been taking care of him when he was at his lowest. The man who loves his son as if Peter were his own.

“Say it, Tony!” Steve reminds him, voice raised a bit.

“I’m-“ he starts again, but nothing more comes out.

“Say it!”

“I CAN’T!” Tony shouts back, grabbing his arms and softly shaking him. Then he lowers his head until the top of his skull is resting against Steve’s chest. “I fucking can’t.”

“Well… neither can I. So I suppose we’re stuck with each other, aren’t we?” Steve says, trying to joke about it, but the humor escapes both of them. The man puts his hands on Tony’s back and pulls him closer.

They stay there for a while. The sun moves position just slightly, but the blinding light disappears. The garden looks normal again, no longer magical. The gardeners are returning from their break, not even looking at the pair next to the fountain.

Eventually, Tony looks up and puts a hand on Steve’s cheek. Without warning, he pulls him closer, softly grazing his lips on his. His chest warms up, his heart speeding up. Unknowingly, his hand glides behind Steve’s neck to pull him even closer.

Everything in his body is telling him not to stop. His mind is telling him otherwise. But maybe, for once, Tony shouldn’t listen to his brain. What could be the harm in this, after all?

Tony doesn’t know how they’ve suddenly ended up in an airconditioned room. He can only vaguely recall the two of them, running back inside with their fingers tangled together. Steve probably knows his way through the gardens.

They’re in what seems like a bedroom. Their lips once again attached. Only shortly do they pull away to let Steve take off his shirt. Tony throws it away somewhere on the ground. Steve undoes the buttons of his own shirt. It joins the other quickly.

Then Tony’s on his back, on a soft mattress that could almost be more heavenly than his own at the tower. _Almost_. His hands are thrown up, held there by Steve’s strong fingers. The super soldier is kissing his way down on Tony’s chest, paying most of his attention on the scar on his chest.

Nobody speaks. All they do is breathe heavily, touch each other’s bodies. Tony loses his pants after Steve lowered the kisses all the way down to his belly. When Steve takes off his, Tony isn’t sure. He’s not paying attention anymore.

Because Steve is here. And he’s kissing him, and they’re together.

What more could Tony want?

They roll over after a while. It’s time for Tony to return the favor. Tony rubs his face all over Steve’s beard, enjoying the feeling of it. He doesn’t do the same; doesn’t kiss him everywhere. Tony doesn’t want to pull away from Steve’s face. He uses his hands instead. Or just one of them. The other hand, the healthy hand, holds on to Steve’s wrists, copying the position he was in earlier.

It’s an unspoken agreement when they move it along. There’s preparation, there’s a lot of long stares and grunting. When Steve pushes inside, Tony almost cries it out. He puts his hands on Steve’s back, nails scratching his skin. Steve doesn’t seem to notice it; not when he’s feeling like he’s about to break apart like this.

He pulls his eyes away. He can’t look at him. He’s sure he’ll end up in tears that way, reminded of the shit they’ve been through.

“Fuck,” he grits out. Steve gives a strong thrust. Tony literally cries now from the sudden shift.

“Tony, Tony, I-“ he starts. He shudders, closing his eyes again. Tony silences him by kissing him.

Steve doesn’t need to talk. He’s going to say it otherwise. And it’s really the last thing Tony needs to hear now. If he says it, Tony is going to break for real.

They’re at their peak. Tony can hear it in Steve’s sounds. The desperate noises he makes, telling Tony that he’s close, but also that he doesn’t want to end it so soon. But it has to. They can’t go on forever. So Steve doesn’t stop, keeps up the pace, bringing both of them over the edge at the same time.

Then he drops down on top of Tony, breathless, unable to move any more. Tony feels empty, wasted. There’s no possible way for him to get away from this spot for probably the next few hours. But he still tries. With a lot of effort, he gently pushes Steve away from him, rolling him over until he’s on his back as well, putting his hand on his chest. Looking over at the ceiling, watching the fan turn in its regular cycle, realization hits him.

Holy crap, what did he do?

He closes his eyes. How could this happen? How could he have just… done this? This is horrible, it’s probably the worst thing that could have happened between them right now.

Because, in the end, Tony still hurt Steve, punched him in every way possible. Out of anger. It never should have happened. Another reminder that he’s, in fact, worse than his own Dad.

His hands go up to cover his eyes. He ignores the fingers gently going over his skin. They feel good, sure. But right now, Tony just feels nauseated.

And Steve just has to make it worse by speaking.

“I love you, Tony. Always.”

Tony’s hands pull back, and suddenly he’s shifting. He forces himself to sit up again, taking a few seconds to catch his breath before he stands up. Meanwhile, Steve comes up as well, frowning at Tony.

“Tones? What are you doing?” he asks in confusion. Tony sniffs for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut. They feel wet, stinging already. But he won’t cry. He can’t.

“I, uh,” he starts. Then he chuckles when he pulls his pants off the ground and puts them back on. Where-ever his underwear went, he has no clue. It’s not like it matters. He just wants to be away from here as quickly as possible. “This was a mistake.”

“How- this could never be a mistake!” Steve counters quickly. He jumps up as well, grabbing Tony by the shoulders to turn him around. Tony keeps his gaze lowered as he zips up his pants. “Tony, don’t tell me you actually feel what we did is wrong?”

But it is. Because how can Tony pretend everything is alright when he knows how Steve grunts when Tony is punching him right in the face? How can Tony think it’s okay when he clearly remembers the blood dripping out of Steve’s nose, him begging for Tony to stop.

It doesn’t matter he got punches in return. The problem is that _he_ started it.

“I need to go,” Tony says, pulling away from Steve to take his shirt back.

“Tony, please! Just look at me!”

“No!” Tony shouts then. Another shaky breath. “In what universe is this not a mistake? We can’t just wipe away all those punches I gave you. You were bruised and bleeding! And you want me to pretend that I’m not worse than my own father there?”

“It’s not like that, Tony. I don’t hold it against you,” Steve utters back, still holding on to his arms. “I need you with me, I want you, only you!”

Gaze still lowered, Tony chuckles out dryly.

“That’s the problem now, isn’t it?” Tony asks. Then, at last, he looks up. He gently removes Steve’s hands from his shoulders. Then he puts some distance between the two of them.

“Tony?” Steve asks.

“I’m breaking up with you, Steve,” Tony finally says. It takes a lot of effort, and Tony hates himself in every possible aspect, but he said it. It’s done. They’re done. He should go now, leave Steve for good. It’s for the best, after all.

Steve wants to talk. Tony wants to leave. Neither get what they want when suddenly a cellphone goes off. It’s not Tony’s, so it must be Steve’s.

But he isn’t moving at all. Tony gives him a long look before going to the nightstand, and grabbing the monstrous flip-phone to check on the caller.

 _Peter Parker calling_.

“What the…?” Tony asks. He doesn’t think more after that. Doesn’t even wait for Steve to give his permission to pick up. He just does, pressing the phone against his ear. “Peter?! How did you get this number?”

“… _Dad? Is that you_? _How did you get this phone_?” Peter asks. He sounds breathless. There’s a lot of noise out there. It that… a car?

“Peter, what’s going on?” Tony asks, suddenly scared for his answer. He can only guess what Peter might be doing, and he hates the idea of it.

“ _Dad, we got trouble.”_

 

* * *

 

 

Peter just goes on. He returns to school, his old suit in his bag but not aching to use it immediately. He’s pulled into the principal’s office, gets his well-deserved scolding before being allowed back to class. Nothing more than just detention for the following few weeks until they decide it’s enough. At least he’s not expelled.

“Dude, you’re so lucky,” Ned even tells him when they’re on their way to class. Peter doesn’t respond.

He pays attention to class, answers the teacher’s questions and makes notes. It’s the only way for him to keep himself from thinking back about yesterday. Tony will be leaving tonight, all the way to Wakanda. But Peter doesn’t really want to see him right now. Not because he’s angry, but because he’s ashamed. He’s been a pretty crap son, after all.

With homecoming dance coming closer, Peter quickly finds himself with the realization that he doesn’t have a date. And it isn’t like he was going to come, but now he finds himself with a lot of free time with a lack of crime-fighting _or_ tinkering around in the workshop. So he surprises everybody and their mother when he asks Liz as his date.

Because he knows she’ll say yes.

So Peter hurries home after detention. He only has about three hours before he needs to be at Liz’ house, and he has close to no suit at all. And May is there to help. They put some stuff together. With a credit card Tony provided them, they managed to get a suit. The woman helps him getting the tie right. Then she gives suggestions for a corsage, which Peter goes to get next.

May shows him a few dance moves. Peter tries not to think back to the last time he danced. Then she drives him to Liz’ house, remembering the address. 

“Okay, the game is on. So what’s the plan?” May asks. Peter leans to the side.

“I’ll, uh, open the door for her,” Peter starts. May hums in agreement. “Tell her she looks nice but not too much ‘cause that’s creepy.”

May nods. “You don’t want creepy.”

“No,” Peter agrees. “And uh, when I dance with her I put my hands on her _hips_.”

“Alright, get out there.”

“Thanks, I love you.”

Then he walks up the stairs. Corsage in hands, matching the color of her dress (because Peter had the foresight to ask which color it would be, and all she did was send a closeup off the fabric off the dress, not revealing anything other than the color). He presses the bell, takes a deep breath and then waits.

He never expects the vulture-guy to open the door.

So, yeah, apparently he’s Liz’ father. Who knew?

Peter loses everything May told him after that. All he does is stare awkwardly at Liz’ father, Mr. Toomes. He’s busy doing the dishes, wearing a blue plaid shirt and looking all domestic. Not at all like he’s about to kill him again.

And then Liz comes down, and Peter just sort of pushes the corsage into her hands. Liz’ mother wants to take a picture of them. Peter can’t even smile.

His senses are all wrong; he’s shivering all over, he’s on edge. The constant feeling that something is wrong won’t leave him, and if he wasn’t in here right now he would be screaming it out.

And to make it worse, Mr. Toomes insists on driving them, apparently going out of town anyway. If that isn’t enough indication that something is wrong, Peter doesn’t know.

They try conversation. It only ends up with Mr. Toomes realizing who he is, and him getting a speech about staying out of his way. What the man doesn’t realize is Peter dropping his personal cellphone on the floor right before leaving the car.

He gets inside, trying to shake it off. He sees Ned dancing, sees Michelle standing there with him and a few others of the Decathlon team. On the left, there’s Liz and her friends, already dancing. She smiles when she sees him. All Peter does is disappoint her.

“I’m sorry, you don’t deserve this,” he tells her. “I need to go.”

Having left his old suit in his locker the other day, Peter hurries to it, quickly changes in the bathroom. He leaves the tux there.

Outside, he’s awaited by one of Mr. Toomes’ buddies. The man with the shocking device. Or, it’s a different man than the one Peter saw that first time. What happened to him? Peter is thrown around a bit more, but eventually Ned comes to his rescue by using the web-shooters that fell off Peter’s old suit.

The thing is breaking apart already. There was a reason why he was so happy to be rid of it.

“Ned! The guy with the wings is Liz’ dad!” Peter tells him quickly. Ned needs the short update if Peter wants his help.

“What?” Ned asks, surprised.

“I know, I got to tell my Dad! You need to call Happy Hogan, he’s my Dad’s head of security. And then you need to track my phone for me!”

Peter starts running towards a street light. He needs to be on higher ground.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Ned asks.

“Hurry, we gotta catch him before he leaves town!”

Then Peter is swinging away. But he’s not going fast enough this way. So he drops down on the first car that he sees arriving at the school. There might be a bit of smugness when he sees it’s Flash. Remembering the Batman movies, Peter scrapes his throat, masking his voice.

“Flash, I need your car and your phone,” he says. It hurts his throat a bit to talk like this, but he manages to give Flash a scared look on his face. That, of course, next to adoration. Everybody at the school knows Flash adores Spider-Man.

“Uh, sir, te-tech-technically this is my dad’s car, sir, so I can’t really-“

“IT IS IMPORTANT!” Peter assures him.

“O-okay,” Flash stutters out. He jumps out of the Audi and instructs his date to do the same. The blonde girl looks extremely annoyed at that. Peter smirks once he’s behind the wheel. Just to get some payback for the past few years, he ‘accidentally’ bumps up against a few parked bikes and a trash can.

Using Flash’ phone, he quickly types in Ned’s number. Then he puts him on speaker phone as he reaches inside his suit to pull out another phone. It’s the one from Steve, and he doesn’t know if it’s going to do any good, calling him, but he has to try. Maybe Steve is nearby? Maybe Steve knows Tony’s number by heart, and he could pass it along. The problem is that Peter just can’t remember the number, and he doesn’t have access to FRIDAY right now.

Now, New York traffic isn’t at all made for a car chase. While Ned seems to find all the thrilling, exciting aspects of this whole business, Peter is fearing for his life with his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he dodges a bus. He’s breaking countless of traffic laws, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even matter to him if he’s going to be in trouble again after this. He’ll sign those damn accords, for what it matters. He just needs to stop this guy, once and for all.

“ _Peter, are you okay_?” Ned asks after a certain time of shouting and squealing.

“I’ve never really done a car chase before! Only careful driving! This is insane!” Peter shouts. With all the movements, he accidentally pressed the red button on the flip phone. The call never got through. “Have you gotten through to Happy yet?”

“ _Hold on, I’m working on it. I’m working through the phone systems_.”

“O-okay! I’m making a call as well.” But then the phone falls from his shoulder, on the ground. Peter curses, but he can’t stop the car to pick it back up. Not right now at least.

“Hey, Ned! How are we doing over those headlights?” Peter then asks when another cars honks at him for not having his lights turned on.

“ _Uh, round knob to the left of the steering wheel, turn clockwise,”_ Ned says. Peter follows the instruction, and then he sees the symbol of the lights turned on.

“Okay, perfect! So where’s my phone now?”

“ _Uhm, he stopped in an old industrial park in Brooklyn_ ,” Ned says. Peter frowns.

“What?! That doesn’t make any sense? He said he was going out of town!”

Whoops, Peter turns the wheel to the right, only barely missing the other car. This car is crazy!

“ _Weird… Oh, and I reached Mr. Happy; don’t think he likes it by the way. It sounded like he was catching a flight. Said something about taking off in nine minutes.”_

“What?!”

“ _He was surrounded by a bunch of boxes,”_ Ned clarifies. 

“Oh _shit_! It’s moving day! All the Avengers’ stuff being transported to the compound!” Peter realizes. “He’s gonna rob Dad’s plane! I gotta stop him!”

If he wants to call Steve, he needs to do it now. With his web shooter, he gets the phone off the floor. Trying his best not to crash against anything, Peter searches for the only number in there, and presses call. This time, he holds the device with his hand.

The call goes over. One ring, two. Three. Four. Then Steve picks up.

“ _What the…? Peter?! How did you get this number?_ ”

Wait, that’s not Steve?

“…Dad? Is that you? How did you get this phone?” Another car honks at him when he almost crashes against it.

“ _Peter, what’s going on?”_ Tony asks. Right now, Peter’s mind is going in overdrive! How is Dad with Steve? How did he get the number? Dad is in Wakanda!

Does that mean that Steve is there, too? Have they been meeting each other in secret this whole time?

Wait, no, there’s more troubling matters to deal with.

“Dad, we got trouble! Liz’ dad is the Vulture-guy, and he threatened to kill me and everybody if I didn’t leave him alone, but he’s going after your plane loaded with all the Avengers-stuff that you were going to move so I have to stop him and-“

“ _Hold on, hold on, Peter, take a little breath there and tell it slowly.”_

Peter listens.

“I found the Vulture-guy. His name is Adrian Toomes and he’s Liz’ dad. He’s headed to Brooklyn, but he’s planning on hijacking the ship that will transport all your stuff to the compound.”

“ _Peter, don’t tell me your chasing this guy?”_

“I _have_ to, Dad! He’s going to steal your tech to make his own weapons!”

“ _After everything- Peter, they’re not going to let you walk away like that a second time, do you understand?”_ Tony asks. Peter gulps but then nods.

“I understand. But this is important.”

Tony stays quiet for a moment. Then Peter hears him sigh. In the background, there’s a second voice. Is that Steve?

“ _Just put him through,”_ he hears, though the voice is muffled. Then there’s some shifting noises, and the other person, Steve, starts speaking to him. “ _Peter, where are you now?”_

“Uh, nearing Brooklyn. He’s in an industrial park.”

“ _Shit, the plane already took off. I left my phone in my jacket so I can’t reprogram its course,”_ Tony mutters.

“ _Listen, Peter, whatever you’re doing, stop it. This is too big for you. I know you’re trying to help, but even Natasha’s training won’t help you with this.”_

“Steve, I’m Spider-Man! I’m Spider-Man!” Peter almost shouts. On the other side, he can hear Ned instructing him to go right, so he listens. “And I’m in pursuit. I can do this, but I can’t be too late!”

That’s when he realizes he took his next turn too late. With the movement too abrupt, he shoots out a web to help with it but ends up with the tires of the car leaving the ground. Then, suddenly, the car tips over, scraping over the ground towards another street light?

“ _Peter! What is happening!”_

Peter just shouts until the car comes to a halt. Then he takes a few seconds to breathe before he picks both phones back up and jumps outside.

“I’m alright, but I lost the car,” he admits.

“ _Holy shit, Peter,”_ three voices say at the same time.

“I’m here. I need to hang up now, but I could really use some assistance after this.”

Ned isn’t answering, the call somehow already disconnected. Peter loses the phone.

“ _Peter, please, I beg of you; be careful,”_ Tony exclaims. “ _I’m going to take the first flight back, but I want you to promise me that you’ll be careful, alright?”_

“I’ll do my best, Dad,” Peter promises. “I’ll call you when it’s over.”

Then he hangs up as well. He puts the phone in the inner-pocket, knowing he’s playing with its survival here. But he has nowhere else to put it. After that, he hurries inside.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Peter randomly told Steve he's Spider-Man.  
> Yes, Steve is going to have a reaction to that.  
> No, said reaction won't be written out in this specific story. (reaction being: holy crap I hurt my boy in Leipzig)  
> Yes there will be a timestamp where, finally, we will get other POV's, in which we can further explore Steve's thoughts on Peter being Spidey
> 
> It's a conscious decision to keep this story strictly Tony-Peter-centric. There are no other POV's, since the story is only about them two. If they don't know somebody's feeling about something, they won't know until it's specifically said to them. With that in mind, I have prepared timestamps where we can finally get inside of Steve's head for a few of the situations in here! :-)


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to say: I am aware that the hour difference doesn't add up in the previous chapter. I did my research, but something went wrong and I had already written too much to change it. So, please just try to ignore the massive mistake I made there.   
> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Something being wrong with Tony  
> \- Reunions

So, Liz’ dad is in jail now. That must have been the surprise of the century at school.

Peter saw it all happen in a distance. He saw the police arrive, along with the CIA, SHIELD, and Vision. The latter only came to help Peter, probably on Tony’s wishes. It’s not his fault he only arrived when it was already over.

The boxes are secure. Peter pulled them all together with his web. Sitting on top of the cyclone rollercoaster, he could see Happy search for him, letting out a relieved breath for not losing the stuff.

But Liz moves away. Her mother found something – rather quickly – in Oregon. They have family there; it’s a temporary solution for now. Her father doesn’t want them in New York during the trial. Peter feels his chest ache at the idea that it’s also his fault he brought this family down.

She kisses him on the cheek before she leaves. Peter wonders if that’s the last time he’ll ever see Liz again.

In the meantime, Michelle is appointed the new Team Captain of the Decathlon team. They celebrate shortly. Peter needs to leave.

“Where are you going, Peter?” Michelle asks. Peter points towards the hallway, phone still in his hand. He knows the screen is pointed at her, and she could easily read what it says. Michelle just leans forward. “What are you hiding, Peter?”

Is he supposed to answer here? What’s going on? Is she on this again, with her conspiracies and shit?

But then Michelle laughs. “I’m just kidding, I don’t care,” she says, waving him off. Then she turns to the team. “Alright, so, we should run some drills.”

Peter doesn’t say anything else, but just stands up. He needs to go to the bathroom now, and not to pee or anything like that. Much to his surprise, he even finds Happy standing there, actually looking… _happy_?

“Hey, uh, what are you doing here?” Peter asks the man that has been driving Peter everywhere for the past fe weeks. Happy, wearing a suit, puts his hands in his pockets and nods at him.

“I really owe you one,” Happy says fondly, not really moving in his spot. “I don’t know what I would do without this job.”

“Like Tony would ever fire you,” Peter counters, and Happy shrugs.

“You know, before I met Tony-“ he starts. Then somebody flushes the toilet, and Happy’s smile falls away from his face, shoulders suddenly tense. To make it even worse, the kid starts slowly washing his hands, not bothering to hurry despite Happy staring at him. When he finally leaves, Peter lets out a breath.

“So, uh, how long have you been here?” Peter asks.

“Long enough for it to be awkward,” he answers. Peter chuckles then. “The boss wants to see you.”

Peter’s eyes widen.

“He’s in here?” he asks, pointing at the toilet. Is Tony already back in New York? That was fast! He must be _so_ jetlagged right now, no?

“The toilet? No, he’s upstate,” Happy counters. Ah, that means he’s in the Compound. That’s weird, why is he there? Tony hasn’t been there since after Siberia, after all…

Happy drives them there. Just when they arrive, a quinjet lands. Peter only sees it shortly in the corner of his eyes, mostly through the reflection of the windows. He can’t see the ship in itself, not being in the right position for it.

Peter blinks a few times when he walks inside. All of the sudden, there are a whole lot more people walking around here. It’s as if there’s a sudden raise in staff, though Peter recognizes most of them as the scientists that have been busy helping out Harry. They disappeared pretty much after the last incident, but somehow, they’ve returned. A chill passes through Peter, but it’s not a warning for danger. It’s more excitement.

“Peter!” Tony shouts. He runs to Peter, pulling his sunglasses from his face and showing his tired, red eyes. The moment he reaches Peter, the teenager is pulled into his arms, holding him in a strong hug. “Don’t _ever_ scare me like that again!”

“Hey, Dad, welcome back,” Peter says, managing a smile despite the awful way the two parted.

“I’m, uh, going to give you two a minute,” Happy says, taking a small step back. “I’ll be close behind.”

Tony gives him an unimpressed look.

“How about a loose follow?” he asks. “Boundaries are good, buddy.”

Then Tony puts a hand behind Peter’s shoulder and pulls him along into a slow walk.

“Aren’t you _extremely_ tired, Dad?” Peter asks, taking in the dark circles under Tony’s eyes. The man blinks a few times but then smiles.

“Well, yeah, I’ve been awake most of the night talking to the government, trying to keep your ass out of the fire.”

“Sorry,” Peter offers. Tony waves it off.

“It’s alright, you’re worth it, son,” he tells him with a smile. “Though you might have given me a few more grey hairs. Maybe you should stop doing that, no?”

Peter laughs lowly. He doesn’t know where Tony is guiding him to so he just follows. Suddenly, a window opens up, revealing it was actually a door. Behind it, there’s some sort of pillar. Peter can’t take his eyes off it.

“I got them off your back, don’t ask me how. They’re just grateful that you got the man, and they don’t want you to sign. Not yet, at least,” Tony assures him. He taps his watch two times, and suddenly the pillar opens up. There, a shiny, new suit lights up. Peter’s mouth falls open, because this… this isn’t-? Wait, what?

“From what I’ve known from Spider-Man these past few months, I know that he wants nothing else than to be an Avenger. And, I know they haven’t been as active lately, but they’re not disbanded.”

Peter reaches out, letting his fingers touch the cold metal of the suit. It looks like a merge of Iron Man and Spider-Man. The design is amazing, the suit solid. It shines, lacking any scratches. Peter even wonders if it flies.

“I, uh,” Peter starts.

“You don’t know how proud I am, Peter. And I think, with a little bit of mentoring, you might even get to be a part of the team.”

“I don’t-“ he doesn’t know what to say, that’s what he’s trying to say. But even that escapes his capabilities.

“It’s not for now; I still need to make sure you understand the gravity of you using your overrides like that. But, maybe in a while, you’ll convince me.”

Tony offers him a smile, and then reaches out to put a hand behind Peter’s neck.

“Now, this suit is not yet available for you. I just wanted to give you a sneak peek as to what you can expect when you get to change my mind.”

Peter nods, smiling back at him.

“Good, because… uh… I think I’m taking you up on that, uh, _Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man_ job you offered me, if it’s still standing? At least for now,” Peter admits. Tony grins, and then pulls him back into a hug.

“You keep on surprising me,” Tony admits. “Never stop doing that, please.”

“I won’t,” Peter assures him.

“Good, because now I have another surprise for you. Or two, actually,” Tony says, pointing towards a door on their left. Peter nods, frowning. “Because behind this door, there’s somebody waiting for you. But, we’re not going to take this door yet. This one is for later.””

“What is happening?” Peter asks in confusion. For a moment, Peter wonders if it has something to do with Steve, and why Tony was with him the other day. Is it because he’s coming back? They’re all coming back? Peter hopes so, it would be better for everybody if the team’s back together!

“You’ll see. I won’t spoil the surprise,” Tony says with a grin. Then he gives him a pat on the shoulder and leads him out of the little room. The suit disappears again into the column. The windows slide back close.

Tony takes him to a little hallway. The door is open there, and Peter can see Pepper standing there. She offers him a smile and walks up to him. When she reaches him, she takes his face in her hands and presses a kiss on the top of his head.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Peter,” she says. Her light-orange curls fall perfectly over her shoulders, and had she been about Peter’s age, he thinks he would probably have fallen in love on the spot with her. “You  had us worried for a moment, there.”

“I’m glad I’m alright, too,” Peter admits with a joke. Pepper gives him another smile, and then looks up to Tony.

“They’re all inside,” she says. Tony nods, giving Peter a little push in the back. Pepper moves to the side to free the way, and touches Peter’s shoulder once again, a sign of good luck.

Peter wonders what’s happening here? Happy is still behind them, giving Pepper a small nod with, uh, red cheeks? Pepper, too, smiles at him and touches his arm as she greets him. Peter wants to watch, to see what’s going on there, but then he’s pushed inside and finds himself in a very light, open room.  

“Now you stay here, alright?” Tony asks. Peter turns to his Dad, mouth still fallen open with surprise. He’s got no idea what he’s supposed to be doing here. There are a few other people in here, but Peter doesn’t recognize them.  

A little to his left, there’s a tall man with a beard and a cap is looking out through the window. He’s wearing glasses and a hoodie, hands tucked away in his pockets. Next to him, there’s a blonde woman with a face he doesn’t recognize. She’s got a hand on his back, not in a romantic gesture but in some sort of assuring way.

“Peter?” somebody asks, and the teenager turns around. He hadn’t realized that another person had been standing behind him. He blinks a few times, preparing an apology for not seeing the girl sooner, but then his eyes meet her familiar brown ones. His eyes go wide.

“Wanda?” he asks, almost shouting her name. The girl smiles lightly but still keeps a bit of distance. She doesn’t shy away, though, when Peter takes a step forward. “You’re… here?”

“Last I checked,” Wanda responds, shrugging like it’s no big deal. Then the two jump into each other’s arms. With his head over Wanda’s shoulder, he feels so much at the same time; relief that she’s alright, sadness because he doesn’t know how long she’ll stay. Fear because she can easily get caught being back here.

Eventually, Peter pulls back, keeping his hands on Wanda’s shoulders. “When did you get here? How _are_ you even here? I thought you were in hiding? Were you here the whole time?”

Wanda smiles, and then nods to somewhere behind Peter. The boy turns around, seeing the man and the woman look back at him. The woman smiles, a few steps behind the man. She’s got her hands on her hips, and that smirk that feels somehow familiar to Peter, but he can’t really place it.

But the man… now that Peter gets to face him, all color escapes from his cheeks. Because he knows who this is. He knows this man, despite the beard and the glasses and the baggy clothes. Peter knows him.

“Steve,” he breathes out. Why are his eyes stinging? Why are Steve’s eyes red, too, behind his glasses? They don’t search for explanations, instead pulling each other into a strong hug and holding on tight.

“Oh, Peter,” Steve whispers next to his head. His hand goes straight to Peter’s hair. Peter grabs on to his back, not wanting to let go at all.

“What are you- how are you? What is happening?” Peter asks. When Steve pulls away at last, the woman comes up. She reaches for her face, and seemingly starts to pull away her skin. Peter wants to shout, but he stops himself when he sees Natasha underneath.

Holy crap!

They hug, too. Not as long as with Steve or Wanda, but enough to give Peter a sense of security.

“I don’t know what’s happening? Did something happen? Did they drop the charges?” Peter asks. Steve lowers his gaze and Natasha shakes her head.

“No, technically we’re not here. We’ll leave again in a few hours with king T’Challa, who was here on ‘business’,” Natasha explains, punctuating the ‘business’ part to make clear that it’s not true.

“Wait, that Panther-dude from back I Germany?” Peter asks. When the three nod, he whistles. “Wow, that’s so cool.”

They laugh, then they go to sit down on the only couch in the room. Natasha brings Peter up to date to where she’s been until now. As far as Peter understands, she’s been traveling, on her way to make sure nothing of the Red Room remains standing.

Wanda, in the meantime, hasn’t really done much. It’s not easy, being a wanted fugitive, so she’s mostly spent her time in the Royal Palace at Wakanda, meeting some people and learning how to play the guitar.

Steve, though... Steve’s a bit vaguer on the matter. Though he insists that he’s fine, nothing in his past few activities indicate that he’s been alright the entire time. But Peter isn’t asking about it.

Without any interruption, the four of them sit together. They talk, joke, and even start up a few games of cards. It’s all fun, and Peter hasn’t felt better than this in the past few weeks, feeling like he’s complete again. But he knows it won’t last; things aren’t the same, and soon enough they’ll be called away again.

The truth is proven when somebody comes knocking on the door, and suddenly Tony walks back in, with tense shoulders and eyes going everywhere but at the man sitting next to Peter.

“T’Challa is leaving again,” Tony says, voice a bit hard. The smiles they were all having drop immediately. Natasha and Wanda stand up, along with Peter. They hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek. Then after a quiet goodbye, they join Tony at the door.

Steve is a bit more hesitant. He’s looking at Tony sadly, but there’s no response from the other man who is now in a conversation with Nat. After ten more seconds, Steve stands up as well. He turns to Peter, and offers him a sad smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him around,” Peter assures him with a wink. Steve chuckles slightly, pulling Peter closer to him again into another hug. Looking over Steve’s shoulders, Peter can see that it’s dark already.

“I’ll try to come back quicker next time,” Steve promises. Peter doesn’t answer to that, because he knows it’s not up to Steve. “You promise you’ll be careful?”

“Sure, no more big bad guys for me. I’m sticking to the creeps of New York,” Peter assures him. Steve ruffles Peter’s hair and takes his fist step away.

“You still have the phone?” Steve asks. Peter nods, picking it out of his left pocket and showing it to Steve. The man nods, puts a hand behind Peter’s head and then gives him a kiss on the forehead. Peter can’t react at all, blinking a few times before realizing Steve is no longer standing in front of him.

“You ready for the other surprise, Peter?” Tony suddenly asks, and Peter wonders how long he’s been wandering off. Natasha, Wanda and Steve are no longer in the room.

“Yeah, sure,” Peter responds. Then he follows Tony outside again. In the hallway, he sees the three talking to the man Peter recognizes as the King of Wakanda. He can’t hear what they’re discussing, but it’s put on hold when suddenly Vision appears, takes Wanda’s hand into his own and gives her a gentle kiss on the mouth. After that, he flies off again without giving Wanda the chance to respond.

“Ah, my boys grow up so fast,” Tony jokes, pretending to flick away a tear. Peter snorts. He winks at Wanda when they pass each other, suddenly feeling the need to tell Yaël about this. But he can’t, because she’s disappeared without any warning.

Finding himself back in front of the first door Tony had been showing him a few hours back, Peter prepares himself for whatever could be inside. With his father smiling widely, he feels like it’s something good. Is it the rest of the team? Sam? That Winter Soldier-guy with the cool arm? The guy who got big? Clint?

“You get in when you’re ready,” Tony tells him with a smile. He squeezes Peter’s shoulder once, gently, before letting go. Peter nods, clearing his throat and opening the door. A few steps inside, but all he sees is what appears to be an empty interviewing room. Only one of the chairs is occupied. The stage is clear, the sky visible from the windows is dark.

“Hello?” Peter asks. The door closes behind him. Whoever has been sitting there, startles up and jumps on his feet. His sandy blonde hair is cut short. He’s wearing a faded Superman shirt and sweatpants. His feet are covered by some warm-looking slippers.

When his light blue eyes meet Peter’s, they both gasp.

_This can’t be?_

“Harry?” Peter asks. A small smile comes up on the other person’s face, but there’s no wickedness on there.

“It’s good to see you, Peter,” Harry Osborn answers fondly.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony closes the door behind Peter. He doesn’t need to be there in this little reunion, they deserve some time alone. His hand goes to his hair, and he starts to wonder if he should be staying here until he hears the plane leave again, or if he should attempt to walk back and risk seeing Steve again?

Steve Rogers, the man who has been trying to talk to him the entire flight here. The man who doesn’t seem to accept the fact that it’s enough for Tony, that he’s done with it. He doesn’t want more fights, but he doesn’t want anything else, either. Not if it’s going to keep on making him feel like this, like a worthless piece of shit.

“Tony,” Steve calls out for him. Of course, Tony can’t get no rest. He sighs, lowers his head and decides to just face the music.

“Rogers,” he returns the greeting. Another flash of hurt comes up on Steve’s face. Tony ignores it. “Is there something you wanted to say?”

Steve clears his throat, pulling the glasses away from his face and toying with them nervously.

“I just… I wanted to ask you to reconsider… you know, uh…”

“You know, if you can’t form an actual sentence, I’m not sure I’ll be able to help you here,” Tony interrupts quickly. He starts walking into the hallway, intending to get to the recreation room and fetch some coffee. He knows Steve will follow him.

“If you wouldn’t be such an ass about it, this would be going a lot easier,” Steve counters, sounding a bit annoyed. Tony snorts, but doesn’t stop walking.

“I’ve always been an ass, Rogers. I thought you knew that by now?”

“Tony, stop it!” Steve calls out, grabbing Tony’s arm and pulling him to a stop. Tony freezes, keeps on standing there unmoving. He needs to pull himself loose, needs to get away now. “Can’t you understand that I’m trying to talk to you about something?”

Take a deep breath. Then take another one. Count to ten in your head. Then breathe again.

“I’m not changing my mind,” Tony warns him. That would be stupid.

“Please, Tony, just think-“

Tony turns around, pulling his hand free and taking a step back.

“ _No!_ You said that you would accept it if I’d say the words. And I did, and now you’re still following my ass all around like a kicked puppy!”

“I didn’t think you’d actually say it!” Steve counters, voice raised just as much as Tony’s. “Can’t you just understand that I love you, Tony? I love you _so_ much, and I don’t know how to do this without you.”

“You shouldn’t love me,” Tony warns him. “All we do is hurt each other. Normal people would call it _abuse_ , Steve. A person hitting their partner? That’s abuse. Don’t you get what that makes of me? An _abuser_! How could I be with you if that’s what I am?”

“I don’t care about that. I hurt you just as much as you hurt me. And look at me; I’m fine. We’re fine.”

But Tony shakes his head, lowering his gaze.

“Have a nice flight, Steve,” he answers before turning around again. He blames the ache in his stomach as a result of this conversation. And if he runs to the toilet to puke the moment he passes the corner, nobody needs to know.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is going down in this chapter, and we're on for another ride. I'm sorry in advance, the nurse inside of me took over once again. But while the drama is there, the end is also slowly getting in sight!  
> Chapter warning see end notes!

When Peter Parker was a kid, he didn’t have many friends. People would think he was weird, or laugh at him because of his glasses and his braces. Others would call him a freak for how much smarter he was than the others. But even when it was offered to him to skip a few grades and be placed a few classes higher, he didn’t want to. Because people already didn’t like him, and he didn’t want the older kids to find him strange, too.

So he stayed in his year, his parents agreed. And when they died, there had been nobody in his class that came to comfort him. At least, nobody but one individual.

Harry Osborn was exactly one year older than him. They shared a birthday, but that was about it. He had been pulled back a class because he couldn’t follow with his peers, and they’ve been sitting next to each other in class all the time, mostly because the others wouldn’t sit with them.

They never spoke to each other, until that day. When Peter returned to school after a few days of staying at home, Harry was there with him, and gave him a box of chocolates.

“My mommy tells me that when people are grieving, it gets a little better with choc’lates,” Harry told him, not seeming certain what all of the words meant. But Peter took the box, and ever since that moment, their friendship started.

Now, about twelve years later, Peter finds himself unbelieving of the fact that the person sitting in front of him is actually Harry Osborn. The kid who had been sent away to boarding school after his mother died, and had no possible way of contacting him afterwards. He looks different from when Peter last saw him.

But that’s not difficult; the last time, Harry had been trying to strangle Peter with his legs.

“Oh, and remember that one time when-“ Harry continues their banter, and Peter goes with it. They’ve been going back and forth, talking about their past and the fun memories they have from it. Peter happily indulges him, because this feels good. After all, how long has it been since he’s had a good conversation with Harry?

After a little while, when they seem to be dry on the fun memories, Peter decides to bring it up.

“Have they said something about your illness?” Peter asks. _The illness that drove you mad?_ Harry, who had been in the middle of taking a pizza slide, hums and starts to pull his food away.

“Uh, yeah,” he says with a mouth full. Then he chews and swallows before continuing. “Apparently the Spider-Venom burned it away before attacking my body. The combination of the Goblin Suit healing-systems took care of it. You know, aside from frying my brains completely.” Harry shrugs. Peter just looks at him, taking in the small scars on his cheeks, the only proof of what happened to him other than how skinny he’s become.

“That’s good, then,” Peter says. He forces up a smile, and Harry believes it. Good, because this is supposed to be a happy moment.

“Uh, how about Gwen? You two still together?” Harry asks then after a while. “You know I met her. She seems nice. Way out of your league, of course.”

Peter blinks then. Does… does Harry not remember anything of what happened after he took the venom? Is that why they haven’t talked about this sooner? But what will happen when he finds it out, then? Will he snap again?

“Actually, uh… Gwen… she died,” Peter admits sadly. Harry drops his pizza and his mouth, suddenly sitting up straight in the couch and looking at Peter with gigantic blue eyes.

“No! What happened? I’m so sorry, Peter!” Harry says reaching out to him. Peter wants to say it’s his own fault, that he should have kept Gwen out of the Spider-Man business. But then he realizes Harry doesn’t remember. He doesn’t know about Peter being Spider-Man.

This is an opportunity to do things right, this time.

“Nothing I want to talk about now,” Peter admits. He needs to have a conversation with Harry’s doctors first about how he should handle this. “I’ll tell you later, alright?”

Harry gives him a sad look, but then nods.

“I feel like you’ve changed, Peter. How much time have I lost?”

Peter then shrugs, trying to count it out. “A little more than a year I suppose? We’re almost November now, 2016.”

“Holy shit! A whole damn year…? How’s my company doing?”

Peter thinks. He hasn’t been to Oscorp ever since picking up the journals.

“It’s still standing, looked like it was doing good despite the hits it got,” Peter offers. By hits, of course he means Harry turning into the Goblin and killing off most of his board members with the help of Electro. “Though I’m not sure they’re going to want you back so soon.”

Harry shrugs.

“Not that I want back; I’m too young to own a company! Jeesh, if we’re 2016, that means I’m 18 now, right? Who in their right mind would pass me down a company now?” Harry picks up another pizza. “When I can get out of here, I’ll pay the current board members a visit, see what we can arrange. Maybe something for later.”

“You want to be the leader of your company?” Peter asks, a little bit surprised. Harry shrugs.

“Yeah, it’s still my legacy. But I want to graduate first, you know? See the world a little bit, get some experience. Maybe it’s something for when I hit thirty.”

“That’s a long time,” Peter offers. Harry just smirks at him.

“Yeah, well, I heard you’re now the rightful heir to Stark Industries? You’re gonna be in my shoes one day when your dad hands it down.”

Peter bites his lips, hoping that day won’t come soon.

“Actually, my Dad isn’t CEO anymore. I mean, he owns the company, yeah, but Mrs. Potts is the boss for now.”

Harry doesn’t answer, having his mouth full. All he does is offer him a smile, and Peter smiles back, grabbing another pizza from the box. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been here, but it must be a while. He’s not too surprised when somebody knocks on the door, and suddenly Tony is standing inside.

“Hey champs, I hope you’re not forgetting that it’s school tomorrow, right? I’ll bring you home, sport.”

Peter nods and goes to stand up. Harry does the same, following Peter to the door and exiting the room as well. When Peter and Tony turn right to head to the exit, Harry stands still.

“Uh, my room is this way,” he offers, pointing towards the hallway that lead to all the Avenger’s bedrooms. They’re all unoccupied now, as far as Peter knows. “I’m staying next to the Android that doesn’t like doors.”

The three of them laugh, and then Peter goes to give Harry a strong hug.

“I’m glad you’re back, pal,” Peter tells him. Harry slaps his shoulder twice before pulling back.

“Me too. And hey, who knows, maybe I can come back to school soon? Finish the education? Go to college, afterwards?”

Peter nods. “That would be awesome,” he says. Then the two say goodbye, and go their separate ways. Peter is grinning the entire way to the car, and even before he can step inside of the vehicle he grabs Tony and gives him another strong hug.

Tony just laughs and taps his back a few times.

“Thank you, Dad. Thank you _so_ much, for bringing him back,” Peter says, squeezing his father a little tighter until the man lets out a shaky breath.

“Peter, I can’t breathe,” he says, and Peter lets go. After loosening his limbs again, Tony hands Peter the keys to the car. “Here you go.”

“I can drive?” Peter asks. Tony nods.

“Yeah, why not? I want to make sure you can still do it without crashing it,” Tony jokes, and Peter punches his arm in return. After that, he hurries to the driver’s seat and installs himself behind the wheel.

He keeps on being surprised at how awesome Tony’s cars are. He hopes that one day, he’ll get to have one like this, too. Maybe a bit smaller, though. He doesn’t need something too big.

“Hey, uh, maybe we can go back to the workshop tomorrow? Work on some stuff? It’s been a while,” Peter offers. Tony hums while taking out the tablet from the compartment box.

“Yeah, sounds good. I know a few bots that are dying to see you again,” he says with a smirk. Peter guiltily thinks back of the last time he’s seen Dum-E, or U, or Butterfingers. It’s been too long, and he can’t really say why. “And you can finally get to finish that own bot of yours. You haven’t touched the thing ever since I gave you your new suit.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry,” Peter mutters, not taking his eyes off the road. It’s not like there’s much traffic here underneath the trees. “So, uh… you talked to Steve by any chance?”

Tony lowers the tablet and gives him a small glare.

“Why?” he asks, suspicious of Peter’s question. The teenager just shrugs.

“No reason, just… wanted to make sure you two are okay,” he says like it’s not that much of a big deal. He figures he’s wrong when Tony sighs sadly and turns off the screen of the tablet.

“I know you care about him, champ. But we’re… too much has happened, and I can’t stay with him and pretend everything’s fine, you know?” Peter blinks for a moment.

“But don’t you love him?” he asks in confusion.

“Yeah, I do. But that didn’t stop me from kicking the crap out of him now, did it?” Tony returns with a bitter tone in his voice.

“But… it didn’t give you pleasure, right? You were grieving, angry, and it’s not like he didn’t punch you back or anything. He wasn’t defenseless, you know? I mean, I kicked Harry’s ass as well, you don’t see me walking away from him? No matter if he’s just a friend, he was actually like a brother to me.”

Tony stays quiet after that, lowering his gaze and eventually turning back on the tablet. Peter doesn’t know if he managed to change Tony’s mind.

“Even so,” Tony suddenly starts without looking up, “Steve is stuck in Wakanda, and I am here. As long as we haven’t changed the accords, we won’t get a chance of being together.”

Then Peter squeezes the steering wheel, bringing the car into the usual traffic that will forever stay in New York.

“Then you should do everything you can to fix that, shouldn’t you?” Peter offers with a smirk. After that, he reaches out to turn on the radio, letting the music fill the car’s upcoming silence. Tony doesn’t say anything else, but there’s a small smile on his lips that Peter wouldn’t have seen had he not known Tony Stark a little bit longer.

When he stops the car in front of his apartment building in Queens, Tony puts the tablet aside again and turns to Peter with another smile.

“I, uh… I got another little surprise for you,” Tony admits. Then he reaches underneath the dashboard and takes out what looks like a lunch bag but in the larger scale. “I was going to put it on your bed for you to find, but I couldn’t be sure May would find it or if you would put it on with her still in the house, so here you go instead.”

Peter takes the bag from Tony and stares at him with an open mouth. If he talks about ‘putting it on’, that could only mean one thing, right?

Inside of the bag, there’s his suit.

“Holy crap!” Peter almost shouts out. Tony smirks.

“Yeah, uh, just… stay away from the big guys now, huh? At least until we’ve tweaked the accords enough,” Tony warns him. Peter nods, not planning on going after the big cases for a while. He gives Tony another strong hug, and then pulls away with a smile.

“Thank you, Dad,” he says. Then he loosens his seat belt and reaches for the door. Tony, too, steps out to take his place behind the wheel. He watches Peter hurry back to the door, but before he gets inside, Peter turns to Tony with an arm raised in the air. “See you tomorrow! Love you!”

And then he’s gone. He doesn’t see Tony smile fondly, rubbing the scar on his chest as he mutters back: “Love you, too, son.”

Neither does he see Tony run out of the car and puke into some bushes the moment Peter is inside of the building.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter gets a report from the scientists at the Compound the day after seeing Harry again. He’s at the tower, tweaking his own bot that he’s forgotten all about while Dum-E is there making sure that he stays hydrated. Tony is somewhere in here as well, but he stepped out a little bit ago to make a phone call and Peter isn’t sure when he gets back.

The report comes in through mail, and once Peter opens it he sees almost everything that’s been written down on Harry Osborn’s recovery. At first, he wonders if he should be allowed to see this, but the first thing he comes across is a written note from Harry himself saying that he consents on letting Peter see these things.

He can understand the tests they’ve been doing. The blood reports indicate strange valuables that seems to change with each test, stabilizing more and more towards the end until it comes close to resembling a normal blood report.

There’s some videos on the test he’s undergone. There’s a few therapy sessions, most of them containing Tony’s therapy-glasses (Peter refuses to call it BARF), and even a few where they test his strength. He’s not really surprised when he sees Harry hasn’t lost all the reflexes, as well as the strength he gained from being the Goblin. He’s not _as_ strong, that much is clear, but still more than a normal human should be.

Peter decides not to look at everything, still wanting to give Harry some sort of privacy. He puts the files away, stands up and stretches his arms. When something pokes him in the side, Peter can see U holding the cellphone and motioning Peter with it.

“No, I’m not calling him when Dad’s around. That would be a crap move,” Peter tells him, taking the phone and putting it back on the desk. A short look around and he sees Dum-E is rolling back from the little kitchenette to bring him a bottle of water. “Now I’m going to stretch my legs for a bit, just put the water on the desk.”

Dum-E looks up for a moment before diving back into the refrigerator. U pokes him in the sides again.

“No, I already oiled your gears one hour ago. I’m not going to do it again!” Peter tells him, gently pushing the bot away. The doors of the workshop suddenly open, and Pepper walks inside, looking down at her tablet.

“Tony, there was an Everett Ross on the line, he wanted to talk to you about another meet-up for the accords so you can- oh, hello Peter, I didn’t know you were here?”

Peter smiles at her, and then gives her a little wave. He remembers the day he had been introduced to her as Tony’s son. At first, there seemed to have been surprise on her part, but that didn’t take too long before she started slapping him on the arm, saying ‘I told you there was a mini-you somewhere!’ for about five times. She’s the one who helped them out during the entire ‘legal father-and-son’ thing, and has been kind of an unofficial distant aunt of some sort. He doesn’t see her too often, but when she’s there she’s always making sure that he’s doing alright.

“Dad’s on the phone, been for about thirty minutes or so. I’m not sure what it was about, though,” Peter says with a shrug, pointing to the balcony where, through the window, the two can see Tony walk around, moving his hands in the air as he’s talking about something.

“My, looks like the call is serious,” she says, frowning a bit. “Say, don’t you think he was a bit… strange yesterday? I mean, he seemed… quiet? I wonder if he’s doing alright?”

“Well, as far as I know, he broke up with Steve, so I’m pretty sure he’s not doing too great right now,” Peter offers, giving his Dad a look. When Tony notices them staring, he gives them a wave. Peter waves back, but Pepper turns to the teenager with wide eyes and a mouth fallen open.

“’Broke up’? What do you mean? Did they finally get together?” she asks. Peter gasps and then bites his lip.

“Crap, you didn’t know?” he asks. Then he slaps his forehead. “Shit, I’m sorry. They were kind of a thing for about three months, maybe four? I don’t know. The problem is that Steve didn’t want to reveal it yet, so nobody really knew.”

“Nobody?” Pepper asks, raising her eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips.

“Well, maybe the Avengers. But that’s mostly because Steve lived with them 24/7, you know. Tony never really told anybody,” Peter shrugs. “The reason I found out is because they were being lovey-dovey when I was supposed to be asleep in the hospital-bed.”

Pepper snorts, still looking at Tony, seeming pensive. “I’m not surprised,” she says, sounding a bit distance. Then she clears her throat and stands back up – Peter hadn’t realized she’d been sitting on the desk. “Anyway, can you tell Tony I’m not his assistant anymore, and that these people need to stop calling me when they need him?”

Peter salutes her in agreement, taking the note with the message for Tony from her and putting it on his desk. Then she straightens out her skirt and starts walking back out of the workshop. When she passes Dum-E, who is on his way back to Peter’s desk, she gives the bot a light kiss on the ‘head’.

“Hello, buddy,” she says fondly before walking off. Peter smiles at the sight.

Right when Pepper walks out of the workshop, the door of the balcony opens up to let Tony back in. He’s in the process of putting his phone away when he blinks around and sees that Pepper’s no longer in here.

“I thought I saw Pepper?” he asks in confusion. Peter points behind him, to the door that leads to the hallway.

“You did, she had to leave again. But she left a message,” he says, picking up the post-it and handing it to Tony. The engineer blinks a few times at Peter’s outstretched hand holding the piece of paper, but eventually reaches out to take it.

“Holy shit I would just love for this crap with the accords to be over with soon,” Tony mutters, rubbing his brow and shaking his head as he reads the note. “You goin’ out this evening?”

“Me? Uh, not really. Ned has stuff to do, and I don’t really have any other friends available or that I want to hang out with,” Peter shrugs, clearly meaning Wade with the last one. Tony then looks up, unimpressed. “Oh, you mean-? Uh, yeah, maybe? I always have the suit with me, so…”

“Cool,” Tony says, putting the note away without responding to whatever the message says aside of the fact that he’s already picking his phone back up and starting to type down another number. “Just, be careful. If not, I might take Karen away from you so you’re less distracted.”

Peter gives him a glare. Tony just sticks out his tongue while pressing the phone to his ear. Not long after that, the other person on the line picks up.

“Ah, Evie! Been a while, hasn’t it? You called?”

With that, Tony once again steps out of the workshop and back outside. Peter watches him go with a wave of sadness going through him at the idea of how Tony must be feeling right now. He’s been pretending that everything’s fine, but Peter knows he isn’t. It must be so much on the man’s shoulders, and Peter just wishes he could take a break once in a while. Of course, he knows Tony won’t take one as long as these accords are not yet tweaked through.

Tony hasn’t been looking all that well the past few days. He appears tired, exhausted; as if he’s not getting enough sleep at all. Peter has caught him rubbing at his stomach as well, as if the man is aching somehow, but doesn’t want to admit it. Tony’s been jumpy, on edge. Clearly, he’s not doing well at all.

Peter clears his throat and starts to take his bag where the suit is safely tucked away. Without feeling any shame for taking his clothes off in the workshop, he quickly puts it on. It feels just as amazing as the first time he got to wear it, but now, the moment he puts his mask on, he’s greeted by Karen’s happy, soothing voice.

“ _Welcome back, Peter_ ,” she says. Peter folds his clothes and puts them on the desk. He startles when suddenly three bots are poking at him, wondering what he’s wearing. He shoos them away quickly.

“Karen, I’m wondering; what are you doing when I’m not wearing the mask? Are you put on sleep mode or are you just waiting for me to arrive?” he asks as he steps towards the door that leads to the balcony. Before he gets out, though, he hurries back to his bag to take out his badge. That way he won’t have to do the embarrassing speech again to be allowed in afterwards.

Tony gives him another small wave when Peter passes him by, but otherwise doesn’t pay too much attention to him. Peter doesn’t take it personally; he’s been quite busy lately, and mostly tense.

“ _I am always present. I work a lot like FRIDAY, you could say; you could install me on your computer or phone and carry me around everywhere,”_ Karen answers in that soothing voice of hers. Peter smiles. Then he gives his father one last wave before dropping himself over the balcony until he gets into a free-fall.

After about five seconds, he shoots out his first web to the nearest building. After that, he starts swinging, letting out a relieved scream at the familiarity of it all. He’s so glad he didn’t end up losing this after going after Mr. Toomes.

There isn’t a lot to do, so it seems. Peter comes across another mugger, which he stops easily. The woman thanks him by pressing a few dollar bills into his hands before running off to her friends. Peter wants to give the money back, but then she’s gone. So, the first homeless person he comes across, he offers him the money.

“Here, pal, you need it more than I do,” he tells the man, who stares at him with wide eyes.

“Bless you, Spider-Man. Bless you,” the man says, shaking his hand and running towards another group of homeless people underneath a bridge, where he can see him share the money. His throat suddenly goes dry, and his heart aches. This isn’t how it should be, right? Peter, a kid who used to have too little money, now suddenly has tons of it. He can’t, in good conscience, pretend like everything he’s seeing here is alright.

But he can’t just go and hand out money everywhere as Spider-Man. He doesn’t want that kind of press on his name.

“Karen, uh, can you call Dad?” he suddenly asks.

“ _Calling,_ ” she says, and Peter waits for his father’s image to show up on the screen. Of course, it’s clear that the line is still busy, so he hangs up again and decides to bring it up when he gets back home. He leaves the group, and swings up into the sky, moving from Brooklyn to Queens, until he’s back in Midtown. That’s when he sees it.

A young girl, about Peter’s age. She’s wearing a bonnet, but the dark red curls are slightly visible – Michelle, his mind tells him. She’s sitting at a café, talking to somebody Peter doesn’t recognize. Just, for a moment, he stays on the roof of the building, blinking a few times as he looks.

Michelle doesn’t seem happy. He can’t hear what she’s saying – and he’s not able to use Karen’s tricks to listen in again, thanks Dad – but he can see on her face that she’s angry in a way. Then, without warning, she stands up, pushing the table aside and starts walking.

“Hey! Don’t walk away from me!” the other person, a man, shouts. Michelle snaps something back in a lowered voice. Then, eventually, she starts walking off carrying her bag over her shoulder and keeping her thick coat closed with her hands. Peter follows her with his eyes for a short while until she’s passing a corner, and then he leans back on the roof.

“So, she has some drama of her own sometimes. Who knew? I thought she was barely human,” Peter mutters to himself.

“ _My scans indicate that she is in fact a hundred percent human on a superficial view,”_ Karen adds, unhelpfully. Peter rolls his eyes.

“It was just a figure of speech,” he counters.

“ _I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”_

“It’s alright.”

Peter sits up again when, suddenly, he sees the guy she was arguing with running after her. That doesn’t look good at all. Peter jumps up, swinging towards the other building until he’s on another roof that can get him a full view. He needs to know if there’s something going on that needs his intervention here. He might not like Michelle all that much, but she’s still kind of a friend.

He arrives just in time when he sees the guy pull her back to him by grabbing her arm. Then he pushes her against the wall. He hears a painful grunt coming from Michelle, and he jumps up. He needs to help, here.

“Hey!” he shouts. The man jumps back. Michelle takes the opportunity of the distraction by kicking the guy in his balls. The man drops down on his knees, his hands reaching for his groin with a face red and tears in his eyes. “Uh, yeah, take that, I think?”

Michelle then picks up her bonnet and ties the scarf around her again. She gives Peter a long look.

“Thanks, but I had that covered,” she then says.

Oh, so that’s how she’s going to play it, huh?

“Well, to me it looked more like he was getting too hands-on. I just wanted to help.”

“Oh, he was,” Michelle counters. She’s slowly walking up to him, her bag swinging over her shoulder. Her hair is messy as always, but Peter figures it’s just how she like to wear it. “But I could have stopped him easily.”

“Sure,” Peter says, not really believing the tough-girl act she’s trying out here. “So you know him, or…?”

Michelle turns around, facing the man lying on the ground. He looks about two years older than they are. Probably some college-drop-out that has devoted his life for drugs instead. He looks the type.

“My ex,” she says. “Though he can’t really accept that fact yet.”

_So she had a boyfriend? Who knew!_

“Yeah, they do that sometimes,” Peter mutters out, not really knowing what else to say. He hasn’t really spoken to Michelle much since he’s known her. He doesn’t even know if he’s considered ‘friend’ enough to call her MJ, like she said.

Michelle raises an eyebrow at him, but then smirks and punches him in the shoulder.

“You’re kind of a doofus, aren’t you?” she says then, laughing. Peter wants to say something in return, but she stops him. “Keep it up, it’s kinda cute.”

Then she starts walking off, giving him a wink and sticking out her tongue before turning her back to him. Peter watches her go for a moment, seeing a whole other side of Michelle that he’s never seen before. At first, he thought she was some sort of cyborg like in those Terminator-movies. Her icy-cold glare used to bring those thoughts into his head, really. Now she seems… human, in a way?

The ex-boyfriend groans again, pulling Peter out of his train of thought. He hurries towards the guy, leaning down but making a move to help him up.

“I would say you deserve that. You’re kind of a dick,” Peter tells him. The guy doesn’t respond. “Now, uh, you better stay away from her, or you’ll get to see me more often.”

He tries to sound threatening, but he wonders if it really comes over that way. He should better just go home, it’s already dark and he still has a bit of homework he needs to finish. He starts running before pulling himself back up into the air, swinging his way back to Stark Tower.

Having thought of the card this time, he swing it in front of the door to the balcony and it opens immediately without needing Peter to do another embarrassing speech to his father. He pulls off his mask, crashes down on the couch and starts up the television.

And that’s when he smells it. Peter blinks a few times, taking multiple small sniffs in the air as he tries to place the odor. It shouldn’t be here. Why does it make him feel so uneasy? He stands up, dropping the mask on the couch and heading towards the kitchenette.

He’s not even halfway when he hears some cracking underneath his feet. A quick look down, he sees that it’s glass. There’s some liquid on the ground as well. The shards on the floor seem like… did somebody drop a bottle?

“FRIDAY? What happened here?” Peter asks. “Why is there a broken bottle on the floor?”

“ _I’m sorry, Peter. You should have gone home to your Aunt but I'm still glad you're here,”_ FRIDAY responds sadly. Alarms ring immediately inside of Peter’s head after that.

“FRI, where’s Dad?” he asks, voice suddenly raised. He starts running to the kitchenette, finding more broken shards on the ground. Is that blood? Somebody cut themselves here! There’s a small trail of drops, leading towards the hallway.

“ _Mr. Stark is in the bathroom. I was not allowed to contact anybody,”_ the AI says. Peter shudders as he follows the blood, finding that it does, indeed, lead to the bathroom. He knocks once, but there’s no answer.

“I thought you weren’t forced to take direct orders anymore?” Peter asks.

“ _He used his overrides to prevent me from calling anybody.”_

“Dad?!” he shouts, banging the door now with his fist. If Tony fell asleep, Peter needs to wake him up one way or another. “FRIDAY, can you open up the door for me?”

“ _I’m sorry, I cannot,”_ she returns.

“Okay, uh, override code-“

“ _Your codes have been changed, Peter. The ones you have don’t work anymore,”_ suddenly comes out. Peter’s eyes open up wide, his mouth falls open. Holy shit, you can’t be serious, right? Now, of all times, his codes don’t work?

“DAD!” he shouts again, knocking the door so hard it almost breaks. Maybe that’s their only solution here, now? “FRIDAY, I thought he was doing better?”

“ _He was, but it seems like it all just became too much for now,”_ she responds. “ _After finishing his call, he took a drink, but after that he didn’t stop. And you know what the combination of alcohol and antidepressants do. Besides, he’s been feeling a bit sick lately, as well."_

Holy shit, yes he does know what it does. It’s an experience he never wants to have again. And, sick? Tony Stark being sick is something Peter can’t really imagine.

“I’m breaking the door,” Peter then says, wondering if it’s to prepare himself or to warn Tony. After taking a deep breath, Peter runs forward, banging his shoulder against the wood and feeling it come along. The door stays in one piece, falling down on the ground, pulled out of its hinges. Peter rubs his shoulder for a bit, looking around and finding a body on the ground.

Peter kneels down next to him, pressing his finger against Tony’s neck to search for a pulse. When he finds one, he lets out a relieved breath. Then he starts shaking him, ignoring the stench of puke around him.

“Dad! Hey, wake up!” he shouts, but there’s no response coming from him. He’s in it too deep. Peter curses, looking around for something that might help him. He sees bloodied tissues scattered around, another one wrapped around Tony’s hand where he must have accidentally cut himself.

“FRIDAY, call up Dr. Cho, tell her I need assista-“

“ _Dr. Cho isn’t at the base. She went to a medical convention in Hong Kong for the upcoming three days_ ,” FRIDAY warns him. Peter curses.

“Is there anybody else at the compound qualified for this?” he asks.

“ _I’m afraid not. With the lack of Avengers lately, there hasn’t been much reason to keep medical personnel at the base.”_

“Shit, shit, shit,” Peter mutters, suddenly standing up and running towards the workshop. What he sees there is nothing but a mess. Tony must have thrown a small rampage here, probably in anger. Peter runs to his desk, searching for the flip-phone. “Where is it?” he mutters to himself. When he looks to the side, he finds it lying on the ground. Did Tony throw it there? Peter picks it up and flips the screen open.

6 missed calls? Holy crap. Running back to the bathroom, Peter goes through the call-log, seeing that Steve has been trying to reach him all the time. But he frowns when he sees that, at eight p.m., somebody answered.

It wasn’t him… So that must mean…

Crap.

Peter dials in the number, pressing the phone between his head and shoulder as he tries to lift Tony’s head up a bit. He needs to check if his airways are still clear. That’s what he remembers from first aid, at least. Check for a pulse, check for breathing.

“ _Hello?”_

FINALLY! “Steve! Shit, hi! Help! I just came home and there were shards everywhere and-“

“ _Shards? Peter? What happened, are you alright?”_

“I just, I found blood on the floor, and I followed it to the bathroom but the door was locked and Tony changed my overrides so I couldn’t get in. I had to break the door and Tony is on the floor and he’s unconscious and I can’t wake him up but he’s breathing and-“

“ _Peter, calm down, you’re scaring me. Are you alright?”_

 _“_ I’m fine, but Dad isn’t!”

“ _What happened?”_

“He’s been drinking again. He hasn’t drunk in months and suddenly he did it again. I don’t understand why- He was doing better, Steve!”

Peter isn’t even crying. The shock and the panic is too strong for that right now. All he can do is gently tap Tony’s face, regularly checking for his pulse. It’s slow, but it’s there.

“ _You said something about blood? Is Tony hurt?”_

“He cut his hand on a broken bottle I think.” Peter takes bloodied hand and lifts it up to remove the bloodied tissue. It sticks everywhere, and Peter gets blood all over his fingers as he takes it off. The bleeding seems to have stopped for now, so that counts at least for something.

“ _Have you called Dr. Cho?”_ Steve asks.

“She’s not in town,” Peter clarifies. “There’s no-one else at the compound qualified for this.”

Steve sighs on the other side of the line. Peter swallows in worry when he feels Tony’s heart beat slowing down gently.

“ _Call an ambulance. Tell them what happened, and to be as discreet as possible. Give them instructions to go through the garage, and take them through the private elevators – you know which one. Then after that, call Pepper, let her know what happened and let her prepare herself for the possible press they might get. You can try and keep this completely anonymous, but there’s always a chance that somebody will find out.”_

Peter nods, looking at the ceiling and willing for FRIDAY to have heard all this.

“ _I can’t be there, I’m sorry Peter. T’Challa won’t allow me to head back to the States twice in one week. Besides, if the government learns that I’ve been in contact with Tony outside of accords-business, they’ll arrest him, too.”_

“I understand,” Peter says. He doesn’t. But he can’t really care about that, now. He can’t be disappointed at Steve now. This isn’t the time for it. “I need to go.”

“ _Alright, keep me updated_ ,” Steve quickly says.

“I will,” Peter assures him.

He doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings  
> \- Much-needed catching up  
> \- Tony receiving too much shit from all around him  
> \- Tony is sick, but not necessarily only with depression. There's something going on, okay?  
> \- Alcohol  
> \- Possible self-harm  
> \- Let's just say Tony can handle a lot, but even ON medication he has his limits


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again. I'm early again, mostly just impatient and willing to give it all to you at once! Damn it, the urge is strong. I hope I'm not flooding you all with chapter updates. Thanks for all the kind comments, as always. I'm grateful for each and every one of them <3   
> See any mistakes, don't be afraid to tell me.  
> I remember when I wrote this chapter, I dicussed with Caspinn whether or not it wasn't maybe going too far. That maybe I was making too much drama or anything. I even planned on scrapping the whole thing and restart the following two chapters all over. Eventually, I decided to keep it, still, as I couldn't really come up with any other way to bring everybody back together (how horrible, I am...)  
> Anyway, chapter warnings in the end notes. There's lots of medical stuff in here. Like I said, the nurse in me took over. I've done my research and pulled out my school notes of last year, so if there's anything wrong, blame my teachers and the internet ;-)

Tony wakes up confused and groggy, and aching all over his body. There’s noise coming from outside of his room, and other little sounds that aren’t supposed to be there at the tower. When he pulls up his hand to rub his eyes, he feels some sort of resistance.

A quick feel with his other hand, he realizes it’s an IV-line.

_Oh, crap, not again?_

Tony opens up his eyes, seeing in front of him a dark, unfamiliar room that doesn’t even resemble anything that he owns in the tower _or_ the compound. This is a completely strange environment, and everything inside of him tells him he shouldn’t be here.

“Whazz-“ he starts, but the words slur out. It feels like he’s not in control of his mouth. His throat is dry, and he could really use some water. He looks around a bit, reaching for his face to scratch an itch at his nose. Then he realizes he’s got another tube shoved through it.

_Well, this feels familiar_ , Tony thinks to himself. Only, last time, there had been somebody sitting next to him. Right now, he’s all alone in the room. Tony blinks a few times, trying to get used to the darkness and see if there _isn’t_ anybody inside.

“’llo?” he asks, sounding hoarse. There’s no answer. He groans, checks out the nightstand, but finds a surprising lack of water there. Finding a red light hanging above him, he reaches up to press it. He figures it might be a way to call the nurses or something like that.

It seems like somebody has been waiting for him, because only three seconds after he’s pressed the button somebody walks inside. Tony recognizes him as Happy.

“Tony, you’re awake! Good!”

Tony just blinks. He knows he can’t speak, so he stays quiet. He just nods at Happy, hoping that he will offer him some sort of explanation.

“You tell me; The kid found you lying in your own puke in the bathroom and called for an ambulance. Nobody knows what happened, but you. And FRIDAY, but she’s being vague and unhelpful as ever,” Happy says, shrugging at that last fact. Tony clears his throat, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling of the tube.

“I-“ he starts, smacking his lips together. “I remember Steve calling.” But more than that? No, that’s mostly a blur. He thinks harder. Steve called, they had argued over the line, and after that Tony made a rampage at the workshop – though staying away from Peter’s project – and headed to the hidden stash of drinks that he promised himself to stay away from.

Oh, right… because Peter had left, Tony hadn’t expected him to return that evening. That’s what he told himself when he opened that first bottle. _Peter won’t come back tonight, just one last fucking time_.

Great father-figure he’s being again. Tony sighs loudly, realizing that, after all those months of trying to be a good father, he’s finally broken. Proven the fact that he’s everything but a good father-figure. What a surprise. It runs in the family, doesn’t it? Or maybe in the name, because Tony knows Peter wouldn’t ever be the same way. He’s too good a kid for that.

“Peter came by earlier, but his Aunt took him home about an hour ago,” Happy tells him. “He’s been here the entire time, didn’t want to leave.”

Happy takes a step aside when the nurse finally comes inside to check on his vitals. A quick control on the bag that collects his gastric fluids, she notes on a piece of paper how much has been taken in. Then she checks his temperature, heartrate and blood pressure. Satisfied with the results, she asks if he needs anything more (he shakes his head) and then wishes him good night.

“Did Peter say anything?” Tony asks. He’s trying his best not to cry. He really is. He just can’t help the stinging in his eyes and the slight crack in his voice as he speaks.

“Well, he seemed pretty annoyed at Rogers for some reason,” Happy says. “Kept telling how the guy didn’t care enough to come over, or something like that.”

Tony frowns. That doesn’t sound like Peter, to be angry at Steve about that. He’s usually so calm?

“He even left the phone here, said that he didn’t want to take it with him,” Happy says, nodding towards Tony’s nightstand where, indeed, a phone is resting along with a charger.

“Wow, he must really be angry, then,” Tony mutters. He reaches out his hand towards the phone and takes it in his hand. Checking the time, he sees that it’s only nine in the evening, but probably past visiting hours. There are another few missed calls on the screen, all of them of Steve – of course, since nobody else has this number. Tony sighs, closes his eyes and puts the phone against his chest.

“You should get some sleep. There’ll be some people who are going to talk with you tomorrow. Of course, Dr. Wynedell has been notified. She’ll be here tomorrow as well.”

“Oh no,” Tony mutters. He doesn’t feel ready to face her. She must have been thinking that he was doing good at last. But she couldn’t know. Nobody could have; Tony’s just too good at keeping it to himself. Nobody knows he’s been falling apart on the inside, because he figured he would snap out of it eventually. Clearly, that’s not the case.

“Yeah, and Pepper’s also pretty upset. She would have been here, but she’s dealing with some reporters outside. A few people saw you when they were transporting you out, I’m afraid.”

Bad press. Great, this couldn’t be worse. He wonders what excuse they’ll bring up this time. A sudden sickness befell him? Or are they going to tell them the truth? Tony can just see his company’s failure at that thought. No, thanks.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you tonight. You just go to sleep, alright?”

Tony nods, but doesn’t answer.

“Good night, boss.”

“Night, Hap,” he returns lowly. After the door closes, Tony turns to his side, the phone still pressed tightly against his chest. In a way, it feels like a small part of Steve is with him now.

Tony wakes up again the next morning when a nurse comes to attach what seems like a new IV bag. Still groggy, his question as to what it is isn’t understood, and all the woman does is put her hand on his forehead and fish out another thermometer to check his temperature.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark. I’m Lisa and I’ll be your nurse today. Did you sleep well?” the woman asks. Tony looks up at her, feeling extremely awful, to be honest. Then he nods, because he can’t complain at all about his night.

“What’s, uh… what…” he can’t get his words out, mouth too dry. The nurse hands him a cup of water and slowly lets him drink from it.

“You were brought here by ambulance after your son found you. You have a tube to your stomach to clean it out. Are you feeling any discomfort?”

Tony shifts a bit in his bed.

“I, uh… I’ve been having these aches in my stomach lately. And, uh… I’ve been throwing up a lot more recently. Maybe…?”

The nurse gives him a sympathetic look and then reaches out for his shoulder. “The doctors will be here shortly. You can tell them what you just told me, alright?”

Tony nods, sighing. The nurse helps him to sit up, and then gives him the chance to get himself cleaned up. After he’s dressed, Happy enters the room again, along with Pepper and three other people Tony suspects are doctors.

“Hello, Mr. Stark,” one of the women says. She’s wearing a white coat over her dark blue scrubs. Her auburn hair is put up in a messy bun, and she looks somewhere in the thirty years old, though Tony can’t really tell right now so it could be forty as well. The look she’s giving makes it clear that she’s not here to mess around. Tony smiles at Pepper when she comes to sit next to him and allows her to grab his hand. It doesn’t hurt him anymore, being near her. It’s good, to be able to feel like they’re friends again. “I’m Dr. Palmer and I’m your physician today. How are you feeling at the moment?”

Tony gives Pepper a short look. She nods at him.

“I, uh, right now I’m kind of alright,” he says. The man nods, and the other two doctors start writing things down. When the nurse, Lisa, enters the room as well, she throws him a big smile and a thumb’s up. Dr. Palmer, meanwhile, walks up to him and pulls out a stethoscope, pressing it against Tony’s chest and asking him to take a few deep breaths.

After that, she pulls back, taking a little pen out of her pocket and holding it up.

“Is it alright by you if I check your eyes for a moment?” she asks. Tony nods, letting the woman point up the pen – which is a light, he’s already figured. But the doctor doesn’t shine at all, just taking one quick look at Tony’s eyes before lowering the light again. “The white of your eyes appear yellow, Mr. Stark.”

_Liver failure_ , is what his brain is telling him. “What does that mean?” he asks.

“It could mean multiple things. The most important part now is that we do some tests, see what exactly is going on in there,” with that, Dr. Palmer points towards Tony’s belly. “The nurse mentioned you’ve been feeling sick lately?”

Tony nods. Pepper looks up, confused. Happy, too, doesn’t seem like he’s heard that news before.

“Feeling tired, as well?”

Tony nods again. “Yeah, uh, I just figured it was because of all that’s been happening lately, you know?”

Dr. Palmer nods and then stands up.

“Yes, well, the nurse will come and take some blood samples, and after that we’ll plan a few more diagnostic tests if that’s alright?” he asks. One quick look at the nurse, and the woman nods and hurries out of the room to fetch her materials. Then, to the other doctors, she starts naming up a few medications that she’s prescribing Tony, but he isn’t listening. The only thing he’s thinking about is the possibility of what could be wrong with him.

_Already_? He thinks. He’d thought he hadn’t completely fucked his liver up yet, but as it seems his couldn’t handle it anymore, right? He closes his eyes, and just wishes for it all to be over soon. With Pepper and Happy next to him, for a moment, he decides to just forget the world.

Except for Peter. Tony could never forget about Peter. And in his head, he starts preparing multiple ways to apologize to him. If he could ever do that, of course.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter is having a bad day. Or, no, that’s just putting it lightly.

He’s having a horrible day.

It’s not that things are going crappy at school. The classes aren’t too hard, Ned is by his side, and even Michelle isn’t as annoying as always. But no matter how nice everybody is being today, he’s still having a horrible time.

Ned tries to be kind, not asking questions about what happened and respecting their privacy. Michelle doesn’t even seem to care about it. It’s mostly the others that are being annoying as ever. The people that have never talked to him before suddenly come up to him, holding up a newspaper or their cellphone and asking for clarification.

Because if you run one internship at Stark Industries, you know everything about the man. Peter just shakes his head all the time, claiming that he isn’t working there anymore and that he doesn’t know. Some people seem to accept it, others… aren’t.

He knows that the others are talking about it as well. He can hear them whispering in class, talking during lunch. On his way to his locker, they’re on about it; could it be drugs? Could it be cancer? Was he drunk? It’s news about an Avenger, and nobody is going to let it go, he knows.

Around three, when the decathlon team is meeting up, Peter is leaning backwards in his seat, toying around with his pen instead of really paying attention. Michelle is asking them questions, punching him the arm once or twice until he forces out an answer. The coach is even about to call him out when his phone rescues him from this useless charade.

“I need to take this,” he almost yells, jumping out of his seat to get into the hallway. Not bothering to look who’s calling, he puts the device against his ear and clears his throat.

“Hello?” he asks.

“ _Peter, hi, it’s Pepper, do you have a moment?”_

Peter nods, not really thinking about how she can’t see him at all. Then he clears his throat. “Uh, yeah, uh, talk to me.”

“ _Tony’s been under some tests, and it doesn’t look too good at the moment. I’m about to give a statement, but I wanted to let you know first.”_

“Is he dying?” he asks, not knowing what he’s going to do if that’s true. He’ll probably just abandon ‘family’ once and for all and just go and live as a nomad through multiple countries. Tony can’t die, that wouldn’t be fair. Not when Peter only just got him in his life.

“ _Not at the moment, though it’s a possibility if it gets worse. He has jaundice since this morning, though it wasn’t too progressed when I last saw him. Apparently he caught up Hepatitis A somewhere. Because he’s Tony, he never goes to the doctor’s when he’s sick. Normally it passes on its own, but with his stunt from last night in combination with the pills and his past with alcohol, his liver couldn’t really catch up.”_

“So, what’s the verdict?” Peter asks nervously.

“ _Right now, it’s progressed to an acute liver failure. He’s been taken over to ICU where they’re monitoring him the entire time.”_

“How could he catch it? Could it be in Wakanda?”

“ _Probably not, since the disease takes at least a few weeks to manifest. It could be something he caught in India, but we don’t know for sure.”_

“But wait, shouldn’t he have been vaccinated for it? Before he left?”

Pepper then laughs on the other side of the line.

_“You know you’re talking about Tony Stark, right? The man who thinks he’s invincible? Besides, the vaccine was only created after Tony was already around twenty, and they used to vaccinate children mostly by that time. Seeing that he never really left the country to go to high-risk places, he just… never got around to do it.”_

Peter stays quiet. He knows that he got the vaccine when he was a kid, but that’s about it. Nobody really talks about these kinds of diseases, so he knows close to nothing about it.

“Alright, uh, thanks for notifying me Pepper. I’ll come by after school.”

“ _That’s good, Peter. Be careful with the press, though. I can handle one scandal, but the secret child of Tony Stark is something I want to avoid until later on.”_

“Will do,” Peter assures her. After that, they hang up. Now it’s a matter of trying to stay calm when he returns to the others. If he looks to shaken, they’ll ask him questions. Ned will look at him with those worried eyes, Michelle will press on, Flash will be a dick as always (at least he hasn’t been seen beating other kids around lately, so that counts for something, right?).

Peter takes a breath, and then takes another one. One part of him wants to call Steve, bring him up to date about what is happening at the moment. But the other part of him thinks that he doesn’t deserve to know if he’s not going to make an effort and try to be here. He knows it’s dangerous, but he would have thought that Tony would be reason enough to ignore all that.

Another sigh, and then Peter walks back into the room, where he’s greeted with a few worried glances, but no more than that. He stays there for the remaining thirty minutes. The moment it’s over, he hurries out without giving as much as a warning. He knows it’s rude, but he doesn’t care.

He takes a cab to the hospital, and probably pays the driver too much. He doesn’t care, he just wants to get inside as quickly as he can. He hurries into the building, taking a turn to where he knows ICU is – he’s been there a few times when he came to see May at work – and then hopping into the elevator. There’s another doctor in there he only vaguely recognizes. It takes a short look at her badge to place her name.

Dr. Palmer. Peter recognizes her from the pictures May showed him. She and Dr. Strange used to be together. It was the story of the century when the two had broken up, according to her. Peter nods at her, and she gives him a small smile back.

They both walk out of the elevator on the same floor. It could be coincidence, but when it looks like she’s going the exact same way Peter is going, he figures he might see more of her in the future. Just as Peter walks up to one of the nurses to ask for Tony, he sees the Doctor walk into a room.

“Can I help you?” one of May’s colleagues asks. Peter takes a quick look around to see if his Aunt is here. When he spots her walking out of a patient’s room, he points towards her.

“I, uh, I need to speak to my Aunt for a moment,” he says, uncertainly. The nurse looks back at May, and then nods.

“You must be Peter then,” she states. “Go on.”

Peter nods at her thankfully before moving towards May. When she spots him at last, her eyes go wide and she runs up to him until she’s hugging him. Peter lets out a chuckle as his face is pressed against her shoulder, but at the same time he can’t find much more reason for laughing.

“I’m sorry, Peter,” she says sadly. Then she pulls back, putting her hands on Peter’s cheeks to take a good look at him. “He’s heavily under watch, but the encephalopathy is already starting.”

Peter frowns. He doesn’t know what that means. Or maybe he does, but he doesn’t want to understand it. That would mean it’s reality.

“Dr. Palmer just went inside; she’s the one who took care of him in the ER. You can go inside if you want to,” May continues, walking up to the room she just left and opening the door. It’s not like it’s impossible to look inside, since there are no walls but only windows. It’s the best way for the nurses to see what’s happening to their patients after all. The closer Peter gets, the better he can see his father lying in his bed, with Happy standing by his side. And…

Is that Rhodey? Peter thought he wasn’t in New York? That he went back home for revalidation…?

Dr. Palmer falls quiet when Peter walks inside. Happy notices him immediately and takes a step to the side, giving Peter room to get closer. Tony is just blinking, but the moment Peter is standing next to him, he smiles at last. A cold chill passes through Peter when he sees the yellow color of Tony’s skin. That’s not how he left him last night.

“Peter, I’m so glad you’re here,” Tony says with a hoarse voice. Peter just sits down on the chair and takes Tony’s hand into his own.

“Of course I’m here, Dad. Where-else would I go?” he asks. Then he turns back at Dr. Palmer, who is looking at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry for interrupting you.”

“Uh, it’s alright. As, uh, I was saying, uh…” After that, she continues with her facts. Peter only half-listens. He’s too busy staring at Tony’s hand, skin yellow in comparison to his own. He doesn’t like it, it shouldn’t be like this. Especially because Tony’s hand is shaking if Peter doesn’t hold it still.

He’s aware that Dr. Palmer has to get Tony’s attention back a few times. She doesn’t seem surprised, instead more relieved about it. Peter wonders if there’s a specific reason for that, but at the same time he doesn’t care. Right now, all he wants is for them to be back home, for Tony to be better.

The thing he can make from Dr. Palmer’s explanation is this; Tony caught the Hepatitis Virus somewhere in the past few weeks. It took until a few days ago to really show symptoms of it but normally it would have gotten better on its own. With the fact that Tony’s liver was already weakened due to the excessive alcohol-drinking in his past, along with the sudden intake of alcohol two days ago, his liver just couldn’t hold up anymore and decided to shut down. Which is why he’s jaundice now. Dr. Palmer even explains that it’s a good thing the encephalopathy starts up so soon after the jaundice, since that means there’s a better survival rate.

Peter asks how much the survival rate is. He doesn’t like the answer.

“Uh, young Mr. Stark, do you mind, uh… can I talk to you outside for a moment?”

Peter nods, ignoring the fact that she called him ‘Stark’ instead of Parker. Once they’re outside, he sees May noticing him. He doesn’t stop her when she hurries towards him to listen in as well.

“In some cases, acute liver failure is treated without the need for transplant. In most cases, though, transplant _is_ necessary. Because of that I feel like I need to bring up the subject of potentially being a donor to your father.”

Peter’s mouth falls open.

“Of course, the decision rests entirely on you. If you two are a match, we can’t force you to do this. Surgery can be scary, and it’s not to be taken lightly.”

Peter nods, swallowing a hard lump through his throat and taking a deep breath. He knows he would say yes in a heartbeat if he was normal. But he isn’t. He doesn’t know what effect it could have on Tony if he would give up a part of his liver to save him. The same thing could happen to him like it did with Harry.

_But he would live_ , a part of his brain says.

_But it wouldn’t be Dad,_ another part says.

_But he’ll LIVE_.

“Peter’s not a match,” May suddenly says from behind him. Immediately, he’s thankful that May has been standing behind him during the explanation. “Peter’s AB. Tony is A. He can’t receive from Peter.”

Dr. Palmer looks up at May, an understanding look coming up her face. Then she sighs.

“We’ll have to put him on the transplant list then as soon as it’s clear he’ll need one,” she says sadly. “I’ll come back later.”

Peter and May nod, and then Dr. Palmer walks away. May squeezes Peter’s shoulder and kisses him on the forehead before walking back to her work. Peter balls his hands into fists before walking back into the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter’s here. Happy’s here. Rhodey’s here. Pepper’s here.

Tony’s never really had everybody there for him at the same time. Or maybe he did? There used to be more people for a while, didn’t there? Where are they, now?

Oh, right. They’re in Wakanda. Tony keeps on forgetting. His one hand, the one that’s not clutched tight by Peter, is holding on to the flip phone. It’s been ringing for a few times already, but by the time Tony has really noticed, it stopped and Tony doesn’t want to call back.

Or maybe he does, but looking at the screen hurts his eyes for a bit.

“So, I can go home tonight?” he asks. Did he ask it before? The way everybody seems to groan and roll their eyes indicates that maybe that’s not the case.

“No, Tony, you have to stay here,” Rhodey says, squeezing his shoulder once. Tony blinks a few times, but then frowns.

“No way, I’m feeling alright, okay? I can walk around no problem!”

“Even so, you can’t leave,” Rhodey clarifies. Tony just snorts and angrily leans back on the bed. He doesn’t like being bedridden. He would rather just sweat it out in the workshop, maybe spend a few nights working there and exhausting himself to sleep. He can’t sleep, not without Steve next to him. It’s too cold, to lonely.

God, he wants Steve here.

Wait, why is he here again?

“Give me one good reason why I can’t go home?” Tony asks, feeling like his brain has been scrambled around. It’s probably because of all the meds. They’re screwing him up, he needs to go home.

“Because, Dad, you’re in the ICU. They’re monitoring you.”

“Goddamnit, it’s my liver, right?” he groans. “I remember the doctor coming by earlier, crap… why is my brain all over the place?”

“Just… try to sleep for a moment, okay?”

He doesn’t know who said it. They’re probably right

“Okay, but can somebody tell Steve not to linger too much in the training room? The bed’s too cold without him,” Tony mutters, closing his eyes as he moves himself into a comfortable position. Then, suddenly feeling the phone in his hand again, his eyes open once more. “Oh, wait… Steve isn’t here.”

“No he isn’t, I’m sorry,” Pepper says. Tony squeezes his eyes shut to hold back a few tears. He keeps on forgetting that Steve isn’t in New York. Why can’t he just remember?

The phone vibrates in his hand. He doesn’t pick up.

After a while, May comes by. She’s picking up Peter again, taking him home. Good, Tony wouldn’t want him to waste his time here. He says goodbye, squeezes Peter’s hand. After that, Pepper, too, leaves. She takes Rhodey with her. Happy stays for a little bit longer, but eventually the nurses urge him out, too. They have it under control, the floor is secured and whatever else. Tony doesn’t want him to leave, but he doesn’t speak up.

He closes his eyes, tries to sleep. It doesn’t come. He hears the machinery from all the rooms around him. The nurse of the night walks around, controlling all of her patients. She comes into his room once in a while to check his parameters, or change his IV bag. Tony can count it up to three times until he figures that it’s morning again. Feeling exhausted, he wonders why he couldn’t sleep. It’s not like he hasn’t been trying, but his mind is just too full.

The first light of dawn starts seeping in through the blinds. Tony blinks at it, then turns around to get back to the dark. He closes his eyes again. The nurse comes in once more, greets him, gives him his food. He startles when the phone vibrates again at nine.

With shaky hands he picks it up without thinking too much about it. He rubs his eyes as he slurs out a greeting.

“’llo?” he asks.

“ _Tony?! Thank God, I’ve been trying to reach somebody for days!”_

“What for?” he asks in confusion. Then realization hits him as he takes another look at the hospital room around him. “Oh, right…”

“ _Are you okay? Peter said he would keep me up to date, but I haven’t heard from him…”_

“I’m, uh,” Tony starts, looking down at himself. All he sees is the cable of the IV lying over the sheets he’s pulled over himself. “I’m alright. Peter didn’t have the phone, it was with me.”

“ _You have no idea how worried I was! What happened, Tones?”_

Tony clears his throat. He tries to shift in the bed, but accidentally bumps his arm against the nightstand. He lets out a curse.

“ _Tony?”_

“It’s nothing, but… clumsy,” Tony assures him.

“ _Pepper didn’t give too much information through the press. She said something about you catching something abroad? Was is Wakanda? Was it me?”_

“No, no, no, no, it’s was much earlier than that,” Tony mutters out. He’s still rubbing his eyes, isn’t he? He should stop that. “Listen, honey, don’t worry. I’m fine, alright? I’ll be back home in no time.”

He yawns, he’s just so tired.

“ _Tony… why did you call me ‘honey’?”_ Steve then asks. Tony stops mid-yawn, realizing his mistake there. Right, they’re no longer together. Tony broke it off a few days ago. Officially, that is.

“Uh, old habits die hard. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Listen, I need to go, the doctor is here.”

Tony doesn’t wait for an answer. He closes the phone shut, and puts it on the nightstand. Then he tries to go over that in his head; He keeps on forgetting everything. He hates feeling like this, it’s infuriating. He keeps on doing things wrong!

The doctor’s not really here, Tony just made it up. He sighs, stretches his arms a bit and decides to just head for the toilet for a moment. But before he sits up, his eyes drop on the massive bruise that is now on his arm, where he just bumped it against the nightstand.

He sighs, forgetting about going to the toilet after that. He looks at the bruise; it’s enormous. He rubs the spot for a moment, leaning back against the pillow and closing his eyes again.

He’s asleep by the time his first visitor arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- mentions of past alcohol abuse  
> \- Liver diseases and Encephalopathy   
> \- Everybody realizes how crappy the situation is  
> \- Self Doubt
> 
>  
> 
> I said in the chapter that it's better the sooner encephalopathy starts after jaundice. That's a true fact. As it is, if it's less than 7 days, there's a 30% survival rate. Once it's longer than 7 days, that rate goes down to 10%. Obviously, both are still very low. With that, this is what I meant with the doctor being relieved that it started so soon.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of people are angry at Steve for not being there. Please, don't be. We won't see his point of view of what is happening since the past few chapters in this story, but once it's ready, we'll get to see more things from his eyes in the timestamp. That includes Steve's multiple attempts at trying to get back to New York, but everybody continuously stopping him. :-) Please, don't hate Steve, he loves everybody and wants nothing more than to be there <3  
> That said, chapter's a bit early. It's mostly because I'm feeling like I'm starting to get sick, which means I should probably just go to sleep. So here we go.
> 
> I also hadn't really thought about the fact that not everybody might know about what exactly encephalopathy is and what ties it has to acute liver failure. Mostly, because of the disfunction of the liver there are possible psychologic and neurologic problems coming up. The symptom of encephalopathy goes up into 4 stadiums, each one progressly worse, with the fourth one being coma. Because the liver can't do it's job, the blood can't really be 'cleaned'. I can go much further into detail with it, but I don't really know how to do that without throwing in my whole notebook :') Let's just say that Tony won't be completely there all the time, and it just gets worse.   
> I've seen multiple cases of encephalopathy. It's a pretty scare thing to watch, seeing a person break apart like that day by day. It's probably also one of the reasons I stay away from alcohol or multiple painkillers all the time. With that, I want to make clear that I had my patients in mind while I was writing this, and I tried as much as I could to portray it as accurately as possible. in some cases, there's violence and constant cursing. In the other, forgetfulness. Sometimes the person just can't speak any longer. It goes on and on.   
> Anyway, sorry for the sudden pathology-lesson! 
> 
> Chapter warnings see end notes

For the upcoming three days, there doesn’t seem to be any change. With the limited visiting hours that are allowed at the ICU, Peter can’t spend his week-end with Tony. He goes to the compound instead, where he hangs out with Harry for a bit.

But even hanging out with him can’t seem to distract Peter. Harry is, after all, Harry, and he has never really understood humility or compassion the way Peter has been taught it. It’s not his fault, either, it’s just a sad fact.

He goes to the movies with Ned after a little while, but even there he can’t seem to enjoy himself. In the end, he always ends up in the hospital, holding his father’s hand between his own. And Tony’s awake, though he’s not always entirely there. His concentration is close to zero, and he keeps on forgetting simple facts. Sometimes he thinks Steve is about to walk in to the room. Other times he insists on going home, claiming that there’s nothing wrong with him.

The doctors all seem to think transplantation will be necessary. The only problem with that is that Tony isn’t a candidate given his alcoholic tendencies.

“He has to be at least six months sober before he can receive a liver. Otherwise there’s too much chance of him falling back to it,” Dr. Palmer had said after the hepathologist had come by. Tony had shouted angrily at that before his mood changed completely and he started crying about how it’s his own fault. Peter had just held him back then, but hadn’t said anything otherwise.

It’s Wednesday now, about a week since Peter called for the ambulance. Tony hasn’t gotten better at all, and even the doctors seem to agree that the encephalopathy seems to be getting worse as he’s getting disoriented all the time. May isn’t working now, and Peter is alone. Pepper had been here a little while back, but she and Happy had to leave again after only an hour. Vision came by as well, but he hadn’t said much. Rhodey is still there, though he's currently downstairs to get something to eat. Walking gets easier for him, so it seems, though he's still a bit shaky on his legs.

So Peter’s alone, with a sleeping Tony Stark next to him. And he’s looking at the phone on the nightstand. It’s stayed here all the time, and even though Peter can’t recall bringing in the charger for the thing, it doesn’t seem to run empty on it.

He feels a slight guilt at not giving Steve all the news about what’s happening. After all, Steve has always treated him right ever since they met. He’s never been bad to him, never angry, nor has he ever lied to him.

A few seconds in Peter’s head. That’s all it takes before he leans over Tony’s sleeping form and grabs for the phone. The battery is halfway drained, so Peter has enough to use it. He doesn’t think, he just presses the right combination of buttons, and then he puts the device to his ear.

He doesn’t know how late it is in Wakanda. There’s a few hours difference between them, but Peter has no idea how much. He’s never looked it up, mostly he just calls and Steve just answers.

Eventually, somebody picks up.

“ _Tony, please, no more,”_ Steve says pleadingly on the other side of the line. Peter frowns.

“Uh, it’s me,” he says. Did he call at a bad time?

“ _Peter? I thought you wouldn’t call me anymore_ ,” Steve admits. Peter nods.

“I wasn’t going to, but… I don’t know, I don’t want to stay angry at you,” he admits. You’ve been good to me, after all.”

“ _You were angry_ ,” Steve states then instead of asking. Peter closes his eyes, turns his head to the side to look at Tony, who is still sleeping. He takes his hand and squeezes his fingers.

“I was, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Steve, Tony’s not- he’s not doing good,” he quickly warns him. “They say if it doesn’t get better soon he’ll need a transplant, but I’m not a good match.”

“ _It’s the liver, isn’t it?”_ Steve asks. Of course, it’s the most obvious answer, given Tony’s history with drinking and the beat his liver took in all those years. “ _What’s his blood-type?”_

“A-positive,” Peter answers. “I’m AB, though I wouldn’t have been able to donate either way.”

 _“I see_.”

“Steve, what did you mean when you picked up the phone? Have you been talking to Tony lately?” He has to ask, because it’s strange. Tony in his delirious stage, when he keeps on forgetting things… it’s possible that he’s been calling Steve without any knowledge that they’ve broken up. He can’t imagine how hard that must suck for Steve.

“ _It’s nothing really, he’s just been forgetting that we’re no longer together, and he keeps on calling and giving me pet-names. But I understand how that could happen, now. His brain is just… fried...”_

Tony stirs next to Peter. The teenager jumps up, shifting in his seat until he’s leaning closer to Tony. His breath evens out again, but he seems agitated in his sleep.

“I’m sorry, Steve. I know you love him. It can’t be easy.”

“ _I shouldn’t complain_ ,” is what Peter gets in return. “ _I, uh, I need to hang up now, son. I’m actually on a mission right now and I can see multiple guns pointed at me. I’ll talk to you later?”_

Peter nods. Sound exciting.

“Okay, bye Steve.”

They hang up. Tony blinks his eyes open immediately after. He groans as he tries to move a bit, reaching one hand up to rub his eyes.

“How late is it?” he asks. Peter looks down on the screen of the phone.

“Seven in the evening. May comes in about an hour to get me home,” he reveals. Tony sighs, turns his head around and looks at Peter.

“I’m sorry I’m putting you through all of this,” Tony starts. “You wanted a father but what you got is an entire Grey’s Anatomy-episode with all the drama of the past few seasons put together.”

Peter snorts at the metaphor. Tony’s never really been good at those, has he?

“It’s alright. You just make sure you survive, alright?” Peter returns. He squeezes his hand again. Tony smiles.

“I’ll do my best,” he returns jokingly. Then he sighs and shifts again in the bed. He stares ahead for a few seconds and then frowns. “Where’s Steve?”

Oh no, not again.

“Dad, Steve’s not here, remember? He’s in Wakanda.”

“Why isn’t he here? That’s not like him, to stay away from me when I’m like this? Normally he would hang all around me to make sure I’m okay?”

“You broke up with him, remember?” Peter continues. This is really not going to be a good day.

“I broke up-? Why would I do that? Peter where’s Steve? Why isn’t Steve here?” Tony’s breathing gets harder, and he starts to sit up despite the strain it puts on his body. Peter frowns in worry; Tony’s never reacted like this! Mostly it’s just ‘oh’ or ‘okay’. He’s never been in panic about it.

“Dad, please,” Peter starts, but Tony shakes his head and starts throwing the covers off of him.

“I need to- I need to see Steve, I need-“ His voice is shaky, just like his hands. Before he can pull out his IV-line, Peter grabs his hands again to stop him. “Peter why are you stopping me? You don’t understand, Steve should be here!”

“Dad, stop panicking and get back in bed, you’re wearing yourself out!” Peter warns him. Tony stops squirming and starts taking quick but deep breaths. Peter then grabs for the phone, knowing it’s probably a bad idea to do this. He dials the number, and puts the phone on speaker.

Steve doesn’t answer immediately this time. The line goes over, again and again, and for a moment Peter’s afraid that nobody will pick up. Then, his fear is pushed aside when Steve’s familiar voice fills the room again.

“ _Peter?”_ Steve sounds a bit breathless.

Tony shoots up when he hears the sound. He grabs the phone from Peter’s hand and holds it close to his ear.

“Steve! Steve, honey, please tell me where you are I can’t do this without you, where-“

“Dad! Stop it!” Peter almost shouts, pulling the phone away again. Tony is shivering as Peter clears his throat and swallows. “Sorry, Steve. Dad was panicking because you aren’t here. I just thought he should hear your voice for a moment.”

Steve sighs. Peter knows it’s awful of him to ask for this, but he’s never seen Tony this scared before. He doesn’t like it one bit.

“ _Tony, hey honey, I’m here, okay? Just listen to my voice for a bit.”_

Tony takes a deep, shaky breath. Then he nods, relaxing a little bit again.

“ _I’m not here right now, I’m in Wakanda, remember? With the King and the others?”_

“But why aren’t you here? If it’s because of me, please, I’m sorry!”

_“It’s- it’s not your fault Tony. Stuff happened, and now me and the team, we have to hide for a bit. Just until they’ve tweaked the accords and drop the charges on us. After that, I’ll be right back with you, alright?”_

“But do- You still love me, right? Even if I screwed it up?”

_“You didn’t. But I do love you. And you love me, and we’ll be together soon, I promise.”_

Tony nods with tears in his eyes. Peter helps him put his legs back into the bed and pulls the covers back over him. 

_“Now do you promise you will listen to Peter from now on? He’s also trying to help you_.” Peter gives Tony a quick smile after that. Tony smiles back, though only hesitantly.

“I- I will,” he promises. Peter squeezes his hand again and goes to sit back down on his chair, shuffling it closer to Tony this time.

“ _Okay, then I’ll hang up now, okay?”_

“Okay, I love you.”

Steve stays quiet for a moment. Peter swears that he hears a sniff on the other side of the line; is Steve crying?

“ _I love you, too, Tony. More than you can imagine.”_

After that he hangs up. Tony wipes his eyes dry and sighs loudly. He shakes his head, and looks everywhere but at Peter, suddenly seeming ashamed about what just happened.

“I’m so sorry, Peter. I just get so confused all the time,” he admits. “People shouldn’t be taking care of their fathers like this.”

Peter shrugs it off.

“I don’t mind doing it. As long as you’ll do your best to get through this.”

Tony doesn’t smile. All he does is lie back down and close his eyes. Peter knows he isn’t sleeping no matter how much he’s trying. He feels guilty when May comes to take him home, but he knows he can’t stay. Tony urges him to leave, telling him it’s a school day tomorrow and that he needs his rest. So Peter goes.

 

* * *

 

 

Harry surprises him the next day when he suddenly shows up for school. Peter, who’d expect his day to be going pretty slowly as ever, just heads to his locker, meets up with Ned, and starts walking towards his first class with his friend in tow.

He’s already seated at his desk when the boy walks in, bag thrown over his shoulder and hair slicked back. He’s wearing a leather vest, and looks pretty much like one of those Greasers from those movies May talks about all the time. It looks weird.

But not as weird as to see him standing _here._

“Oh, yes, class, we have a new student from today. Mr. Lyman, right?”

Harry nods, giving the teacher a grin.

“Harry Lyman, yes,” he says proudly. “I just came over from… Seattle. Didn’t like the rain, parents split up, what else can you do?” He shrugs it away as if it’s not a big deal. Peter doesn’t really know what to think of it. His senses don’t give him any warnings, but he’s still not feeling quiet easy about it.

He recognizes the name, too. Once, when they were very small, Harry used to tell him the stories about his mother. They were nothing extraordinary, really, but he can remember her being mentioned a lot. Emily Lyman. Once, before he started idolizing his father and _way_ before he started hating him, Harry used to look up to his mother, aspire to be like her. Then, after she passed away, Harry never mentioned her again.

“You look familiar,” somebody in the class says. Harry just snorts.

“Yeah, I’ve been in a commercial once when I was a kid,” he lies. It’s a stupid lie, because it’s possible one of these idiots will be looking for proof. “Nothing special, though, you can’t even find it on YouTube.”

Harry then winks at the teacher and hurries to the empty seat next to Peter. He gives Peter a wink as well, and then he starts to take out his books. While the teacher is starting with explaining his plans for today, Peter leans towards his former best friend.

“What are you doing?!” he hisses at him. Harry smiles at him.

“They said I was ready! I’ve been in therapy for months, Peter! I’m doing better, I just need some people that aren’t scientists to talk with once in a while!” Harry hisses back. When the teacher turns to look at them, the two pretend that they’ve never spoken a word to each other in all their lives.

“Alright, but don’t get me in trouble!” Peter returns. Harry snorts.

“You’re doing just fine on your own on that front,” he jokes. Peter rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair. Hidden behind Ned, who is seated before him, Peter takes out his (own) phone and checks it for messages. There’s something from May, giving him an update on Tony’s situation (it hasn’t changed). Next to that there’s another message from Wade Peter’s ignoring once again.

Class goes slow, but eventually the bell rings and Peter throws his stuff back into his bag. When he stands up, he suddenly has two people looking at him, those being Ned and Harry.

“Uh,” he mutters, letting his mouth fall open at the sudden realization that he’ll get to introduce these two! He hopes they’ll get along! “Ned! This is Harry! He’s my best friend from when we were kids!”

Ned smiles and holds his hand out to Harry, who doesn’t smile back as widely but still shows him a little grin. He shakes his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” he says calmly. “So you’ve been caring for this brat in the time that I’ve been gone?”

“Kind of,” Ned jokes along. Peter rolls his eyes.

“Alright, enough of that, let’s get to the next class.”

They make it until lunch time. They take their usual (empty) place at the lunch table, make arrangements for a movie night to let Harry catch up on the new movies he’s missed this year, and discuss other film theories. It’s a good way for him to relax a bit after these past few stressful days.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Harry slaps Peter’s arm while staring straight ahead. With his mouth fallen open, Peter for a moment wonders if he’s having a stroke or something. Or, maybe a flashback? Oh, that wouldn’t be good at all.

“Who is that beautiful girl there?” he asks in a whisper. Both Peter and Ned turn to where Harry’s looking at. Peter’s eyebrows go up when he finds MJ on the receiving end of that stare. MJ, who is walking their way with her hair pulled up messily and blowing a bubble with chewing gum. She’s holding her plate with lunch, and probably comes to take her usual place at their table without bothering to talk to them much.

“Uh, that’s MJ,” Peter answers in response. Harry lets out a loud breath.

“That must be short for Mary-Jane, it’s beautiful,” he deduces. Peter holds back a snort. Ned corrects him.

“Actually, it’s for Michelle Jones. Though we’ve been promoted to calling her by her initials since we’re supposedly ‘friends’.”

“Michelle,” Harry mutters, still staring at her when she takes her place at the table. She gives Peter and Ned a questioning look, but they just shrug.

“Hi, Nerds,” she greets them, pretending not to notice Harry after that. Peter and Ned just wave at her. She pokes her fork into her spinach without seeming to want to eat it. “Have you heard the news on Stark? He seems to be in critical condition.”

She gives Peter a knowing look. He sighs. Why does he always feel like she knows too much? She can’t know, right?

“Yeah, it’s a shame we don’t know more,” Ned returns, feigning innocence. Harry just keeps on staring at MJ. It’s a bit weird to call her that after using Michelle all the time, but she’s been insisting on it for a little while.

“I’m sure we don’t,” she responds. She grabs for her bottle of water and takes a large gulp. Then she throws Harry a very unimpressed glare. “Listel pal, if you’re looking any longer I feel like I might combust into flames. Just say something or look somewhere else.”

“I’m sorry!” Harry squeaks, turning his head to the side. “It’s just- you’re just so beautiful.”

MJ drops her fork and her bottle after that, and her eyes open up wide. Peter notices a small blush appearing on her cheeks. Is she- is she flustered? He’s never seen her react this way, it’s weird. It would assume that she’s an actual human being with emotions.

“Uh, thanks?” she returns, uncertainly. Then she blinks a few times more and jumps up from her seat. She grabs her plate, drops her bottle again and accidentally kicks her bag from the chair to the ground. “I- uh, I need to… go… now.”

Then she hurries off after grabbing for her bag. Peter feels his mouth fall open from the surprise, and Ned, too, seems just as confused about what just happened. Harry sighs with a stupid smile on his face, sounding like the cliché love-struck fool from those movies.

“Dude, after all the _models_ , you suddenly start crushing on Michelle Jones of all people?” Peter asks with a frown. Harry punches him in the arm without looking to the side, only watching to where MJ disappeared to.

“Wait, models? That’s a story I need to hear,” Ned butts in. Harry blinks then, gives Ned a short look, and then starts grinning.

“Oh, I have many stories to tell you, then,” he says with a smirk. And after that, he seems to forget about MJ for a little while and he starts talking.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony is staring. He’s aware that he’s staring, and he knows that he needs to _stop_ staring. But he can’t. All he can really do is just sit there and wait for something to happen. He needs to focus, to concentrate. If he distracts himself with doing something, he’ll forget again. He doesn’t want to forget again.

 _You’re not with Steve anymore. Steve isn’t here. You can’t call him anymore_.

He repeats it every time. Again and again, and for the past three hours he hasn’t had another one of these panic attacks. It’s going good for now. He’s fine, so far. There’s been visitors, but only for a short amount of time. Out of respect for the other patients on the department, visiting hours have been reduced to two hours a day, those hours being divided on two different moments during the day. Pepper’s been here earlier, telling him about what’s going on in the outside world, what she’s telling the press. Tony wants to ask her about Happy, but he’s afraid that if he talks, he’ll forget again.

Peter’s at home. That’s good. He’s been in contact with a few of the researchers a few days back. They asked him if he was alright with letting Osborn Junior go to school. Tony doesn’t remember much of it, but he figures it might do Peter good to have him back at his side. He looked happier when he was here a few hours back.

_Not with Steve anymore. He isn’t here. Can’t call._

The phone doesn’t ring. Not anymore. He turned it off, either way. As a precaution. He doesn’t know the PIN-code after all. Or he doesn’t remember it at least. If he gets back to the idea of calling Steve, it won’t work. Only Peter can put the device back on.

“Hello Mr. Stark, can I come and change your IV bag?”

Tony looks up and then nods. He doesn’t speak. His dinner has been brought earlier, but he hadn’t taken much of it, really. It’s a distraction after all, and he doesn’t need that. Besides, the idea of eating makes him want to puke on the spot.

“Are you feeling alright at the moment?”

Tony looks at her shortly. Then he nods again, keeping his mouth shut.

“Is there a problem with your throat, sir? Do you need anything?”

A shake of his head. Then he smiles. He points towards his head, ticking it a few times. The nurse shakes her head.

“I don’t understand, sir?”

He takes a deep breath.

“Can’t call Steve,” he says. The woman’s mouth falls open in surprise.

“Who’s Steve?” she asks with a curious look after she’s changed the bags. “A friend?”

Tony nods. “Boyfriend,” he says with a smile. Or… wait, is he? There was a thing about their relationship, wasn’t there? Something he’s forgetting. “He’ll come, soon. He’s been away.”

The nurse just smiles at him, but Tony can’t see that she doesn’t understand it completely. That’s alright, he doesn’t need her to understand. He doesn’t even care that he just announced to her that he’s in a relationship with another man. It doesn’t matter at all. Because Steve will forgive him for that.

“I’m sure he will,” the nurse says. Tony can’t remember her name.

_Together. I can’t call him, he’s on his way._

“I need to ask, Mr. Stark. Are you in any pain right now?”

Tony shakes his head.

“No, but when can I go home? I haven’t been in my workshop for weeks!” he sighs. “I like to keep myself busy. My bots are probably missing me!”

“I know, I’m sorry. You need to stay a little while longer. At least until we’re sure that your liver will recover on its own or if we find a matching donor.”

“Peter?”

“Your son is not a match,” she admits.

Tony shakes his head. Better not, too. Tony doesn’t want to end up like the Osborn-kid.

“Pepper? Happy? Rhodey?”

She shakes her head as well.

“Neither are a match. But we’re looking.”

Tony blinks for a few times and then nods. He wonders why Pepper, Happy or Rhodey aren’t a match? They haven’t been injected with Spider-venom, right? Or… wait, he’s not thinking straight. This has nothing to do with the venom. It’s about blood. Pepper’s B+, so is Happy, only negative. Rhodey’s AB like Peter. They’ve told him this.

“Is Steve here?”

Where is he? He should be here, shouldn’t he? Tony looks around, finding no sign of him. He should get out of bed, search for him. He can’t, his legs feel too heavy.

“Visiting hours are over, he’s not here,” the nurse says. Tony nods, letting out a breath. Surely, Steve will be there tomorrow. “You should go to sleep. You look tired.”

Tony nods in agreement, he’s indeed tired, fucking exhausted even. He shifts a bit in bed until he’s in a comfortable position – as much that is possible with all these tubes – and then he closes his eyes. But the noises keep him awake. The pump, the monitor, both his as the one from his neighbor. The shoes of the nurses in the hallway. There’s a phone going off, doors opening and closing.

It frustrates him to no end, not being able to sleep. It’s been getting harder to do that, too. He should try again. Tony clears his throat and squeezes his eyes shut this time.

_Steve. Steve will be here. Steve loves me._

The sound of another door that’s opened. Then a voice in the background.

“Hey! Sir, you can’t be here!” a nurse shouts. Tony opens his eyes again. He turns to the side to watch what’s going on. He startles when he sees a dark figure standing in the opening of his door.

The person doesn’t answer. Tony doesn’t need his voice to know who it is. He smiles, and holds out his hand. The person waits a few seconds but then comes closer. His hand is outstretched as well, fingers touching Tony’s, giving him warm chills all over his body.

“Oh, Tony,” he says, voice breaking as he speaks. The moment he’s close enough, Tony grabs his face and mashes their lips together in a quick kiss.

“You’re finally here.” Tony smiles, unwilling to pull their faces apart. He wipes a tear away from Steve’s cheeks.

“I’m here,” he agrees. “I’m going to take care of you, now, okay?”

Tony nods. Of course, Steve is going to take care of him. He always does, that’s why Tony loves him so much.

“I know you will.”

He kisses him one last time. Then everything goes black.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Harry Surprising everybody  
> \- Peter makes some calls  
> \- Tony's mental state is getting worse (though so is his physical state)


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again, earlier than expected once more. Yes, I'm actually feeling even sicker than yesterday. No, that's not the reason I'm posting so quickly. I just have counted out that the Christmas chapter (which is the 40th chapter) would have been posted on the 26th otherwise. So I'm throwing in an extra upload so that Christmas will be celebrated on Christmas, damn it! ^^
> 
> After all the angst, it's time for the beginnings of conflict solving. Oh, and prelude to even darker times coming ahead, but that won't be written out in the story *cough*InfinityWar*cough* and slight references to Thor Ragnarok.  
> Chapter warnings in the end notes.

Tony’s flying. His body is weightless, he’s seeing nothing more than clouds. There’s no wind touching his face. He must be in the suit. He must be on his way somewhere. Maybe he fell asleep?

“JARVIS?”

His voice is hoarse. He blinks a few times but it feels like his eyelids are not moving at all.

Tony looks around. His head feels dizzy, like he’s been drinking too much. But he doesn’t feel drunk. Not really. He feels… good? In a way? There’s no pain, not even in his wrist. He touches it for a moment. Then he realizes he’s not in his armor.

It’s just him. And he’s flying.

It’s nice.  

“JARVIS?” he asks, not remembering if he’s gotten an answer yet. He moves forward for a bit, somehow knowing how to do that. He somehow feels that he’s moving forward, but there’s no surface, nothing else indicating that he’s moving again. He keeps on going, it’s probably just an illusion. He goes on, and on, until suddenly the light disappears and he’s hovering in a starry sky.

He stops again, looking behind him. The light is still right there; there’s a straight line that divides the two places. Tony tries to turn back, but no matter how much he tries to get there, the light seems to be getting further away from him. So he stops, turns back to the dark.

“Tony.”

It’s not shouted, nor actually spoken. It’s almost as if it’s coming straight from his head. Tony looks around for a bit, seeing nothing other than stars. He reaches out a hand, and much to his surprise he can actually take one of these stars between his fingers.

“What the…?”

“Tony.”

Tony makes another sharp turn, but once again the sound only seems to emerge from his head. He sighs, and takes the star closer to his eyes to inspect it. It’s just a little ball of light. It’s not warm, nor does it buzz or anything else like that. It’s just… there.

He lets go of it again. The star hovers a bit in the air. Then, suddenly, a shape seems to emerge from it. Tony flies back a bit when he sees somebody standing next to him.

“Tony,” it says, sounding just like the thing in his head. Tony hovers forward a bit, reaching out his hand again to have a touch. Once it makes contact with the dark figure, it lightens up for a bit before shifting into an actual person. Somebody Tony recognizes.

 _Steve_ , his mind tells him. Tony automatically puts a hand on the man’s cheek, slowly caressing his skin as their eyes make contact.

“Steve?” he asks, just to be sure. The figure nods.

“It’s me, honey. You need to wake up, okay?”

“But I am awake?” Tony shakes his head. Steve does the same, putting a hand on top of Tony’s against his cheek.

“Just do it for me, okay?”

But then he disappears again, seemingly dissolving in a light blue smoke. Tony gapes at it with an open mouth, but then he clears his throat and blinks a few times. Surely, Steve will be back, he won’t just leave like that. Tony moves forward, reaching for another star. This time, he puts the little thing against his lips, suddenly feeling the need to give it comfort, to watch over it. He’s feeling very protective over this particular little star that he doesn’t really want to let go of it, either.

Eventually he does. It falls out from his hands, hovering into the air for a few short seconds until another figure appears. Tony reaches out for it immediately, getting figure a little bit smaller than him in front of him. Tony takes a deep breath at the warm feeling he’s getting while looking at him.

“Dad, hey,” Peter says with a smile. Tony smiles back. He pulls the kid into a strong hug, taking in his scent but noticing that here isn’t any on him. That’s odd. “I need you to wake up, okay? For me? Can you do that?”

Tony wants to nod, to say yes. But he doesn’t know if he can do that.

“Just focus on my voice,” Peter says as if he’s read Tony’s mind. The man nods, holding out his hand until it’s touching Peter’s. He squeezes his fingers, feeling Peter squeeze in return. Good, that means it’s real. He hovers forward, following Peter. “Good, you’re doing good.”

Suddenly, there’s somebody grabbing his other hand. With a quick look he sees it’s Steve. He’s back! Good! That’s just… great. His two favorite people holding on to him, both of them giving him a calm smile.

“Tony, just take a deep breath, okay?”

He frowns, then. He can’t remember that he’s been having it difficult to breathe? He doesn’t let go of their hands, but does try to take a deep breath. It’s as if he hasn’t been breathing at all since he’s here, because taking that gulp of air suddenly brings him into a coughing fit.

Oh, there’s something stuck in his throat, he thinks.

“Try to breathe, Dad,” Peter tells him. He feels a few pats on his back while he tries to get through the fit. But he keeps on coughing.

He wants to tell him that he can’t, that there’s something in the way, but when he feels again, he finds that whatever has been in his throat is now gone. He coughs some more, letting everything out that has been piling inside.

“Good, you’re doing good honey,” Steve says, still holding on to his hand. “Just follow our voices, okay?”

Tony nods, letting Peter and Steve pull him along to where they want him to go. He turns his head once more, shortly. The light side is far away now, barely even visible. It’s alright, though. The stars are more beautiful to look at for now.

“Try and open your eyes.”

Tony shakes his head. Suddenly, Steve and Peter are gone. So are the stars. What’s going on? He tries to feel around but there’s something holding his hands. He tries to shuffle a bit; realizing he’s lying down in a bed? What is going on?

“Mr. Stark, are you with us?” another, unfamiliar voice asks. Tony lifts his head up to the source of the sound, but doesn’t speak. He can’t, his voice doesn’t want to help. Instead he nods. Yes, he’s with them. Though he doesn’t know where exactly it is. It couldn’t be this darkness. “You’ve been in surgery, sir. You returned to your room this morning, and you’ve been asleep ever since. Can you open your eyes for us?”

Tony shakes his head. He has no idea where his eyes are. Somebody squeezes his hand.

“C’mon, Dad,” Peter says on his right. Tony lets out another cough as he tries to fight through it. He needs to find his eyes, how does he open them? But, he knows where they are. They’re on his face. The problem is that they’re feeling extremely heavy. As if something has been dropped on top of it.

“Tony, just try,” Steve says next to him. Tony’s left hand is pulled up and suddenly pressed against a pair of lips. He’s confused; why is Steve actually here? Isn’t he supposed to be in Wakanda? He can’t be sitting right next to him, can he? That was just a dream, right?

His eyes fly open nonetheless. The shock stronger than whatever is keeping his eyelids down. He blinks a few times; the lights have been dimmed, which is good. Tony tries to lift up his head, to see where everybody is. The first person he catches is Peter, smiling at him. He looks pale, as if he hasn’t been sleeping at all. Tony pulls his hand out of his to put it against his cheek. Peter closes his eyes and leans into the touch.

“Welcome back, Dad,” he says. Tony can’t speak, his throat hurts when he tries. So he just nods and blinks once. Then he turns to his left, where, much to his surprise, Steve is _actually_ sitting. He’s in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown. There’s an IV-bag attached to his arm and he, too, looks a bit pale

Tony frowns, he wants to ask what happened. When he tries to think of what he remembers last, it’s mostly blurry. He’s aware that he’s in the same room he’s been in for the past few days. When he looks outside, he sees that it’s raining. He’s surrounded by doctors, none of which he can really tell by name – Dr. Palmer handed his case to the specialists, so he hasn’t seen her in… he doesn’t even know.

“What day is it?” he asks, voice raspy. It’s mostly just breathy sounds, but somehow Peter understands him.

“It’s the eighteenth of November, Dad,” he says. “You’ve been here for about ten days now.”

“You were being monitored, but your condition was getting worse,” the Doctor adds. Tony tries to remember his name, but he can’t. His eyes widen when, next to him, he sees Dr. Cho herself.

“There are still some tests being made. You, on the other hand, are going to be getting better now. I just wish I had been here sooner so I could have used the cradle,” she admits. Tony nods at her, telling her it’s okay. She couldn’t have known after all.

“We had a tough time, with you being unable to get on the transplant list. Luckily, Mr. Rogers decided to help. Even more luckily that he was a match, too.”

Tony turns back to Steve. It’s weird, seeing him like this. Tony watches his hand resting in Steve’s and wonders if he should pull away. He’s sure Steve is expecting everything to be fine now, but it’s not, really. They’re not fine. Too much has happened.

But he shouldn’t bring that up now, right?

“Yeah, Steve’s O positive, meaning that he could donate!” Peter adds happily. “It was crazy, he just arrived here and you just- you passed out and it was-! I mean, we were panicking at first because we got a call in the middle of the night about you being in coma, but suddenly we heard Steve yell from over the line that he was a willing donor and stuff!”

Peter talks excitedly, but it doesn’t really get to Tony. He’s mostly tired, wanting nothing more than to just sleep it off, catch a few hours and eventually get back to his workshop. It’s been too long since his fingers have been busy!

The doctors check him for a little while. There’s another blood sample, a look into his eyes and a quick check in his mouth. After that, they make sure his vitals are alright before they leave him alone again in the room.

“We can’t stay for long. We’ve already been here half an hour and it’s only one hour at a time,” Peter warns him the moment the doctors are gone. He fishes out a tablet from his bag and hands it to Tony. “I thought you might want this for a little while?”

Tony smiles, taking it from his son’s hands with a thankful nod. With his hands now freed from both their grasps, it’s easier to move around again. But, before he can turn the tablet on, he drops it on his legs, pulls down the blanket and takes a good look at his stomach.

A large bandage is put on. It’s a bit bloodied, but it seems dry for now. When he touches it, he doesn’t feel pain but mostly just uneasiness.

“Yeah, that’s a piece of Steve you got in there, isn’t that cool?” Peter asks, clearly too enthusiastic about it. Next to Tony, Steve just shrugs.

“Preparing for the surgery wasn’t easy. They needed to make contact with Dr. Cho to get the anesthetics right and even then I still woke up during the surgery. Didn’t feel any pain so that’s that at least,” Steve explains. After Tony covers himself back up, Steve reaches for his hand again, holding it close to his chest. “When you passed out I thought I had come too late. You looked so awful, Tony.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. Steve rolls his eyes.

“You really have trouble staying serious, don’t you?” he asks. Tony then shrugs as well. He wants to pull his hand away, to keep Steve from thinking too positively about them here. But not right now; the man just saved his life in a complete selfless act.

He doesn’t meet Steve’s eyes. Not at all. It’s probably also how he discovers the handcuffs around Steve’s left hand. The ones that attach him to his wheelchair. Once he sees Tony stare at it, Steve sighs.

“It’s alright, Tony. I knew it would happen if I would come here,” he admits. “They’re only doing their job, after all.”

Tony doesn’t notice his breathing speeding up, but he can feel his heartbeat rising. His eyes stay glued on the cuffs, his brain unable to understand why it’s attached to Steve, of all people. Who ratted him out? Who was so heartless as to report Steve to the authorities?

Tony turns to Peter, to see what he’s thinking about it. But, in the time he’s been unconscious, Peter surely has already gotten used to the idea. He’s probably not as surprised about it. Still, Tony can catch a glimpse of sadness in his eyes as he desperately avoids looking at the cuffs.

They stay in silence for the next twenty minutes. After that, Peter gets ready to head back home. He sits up, walks to the side to put on his coat, and puts his stuff back into his bag. Steve doesn’t move at all. His hand is no longer holding Tony’s since he’s been on the tablet ever since. When Tony has asked to see Steve’s scar from the surgery, all he’s finding is a dark pink red line. Something that looks like a week-old suture. Not something that happened the day before.

The tension is strong when a nurse comes to pick up Steve and bring him back to his own room – where-ever that is. At the door, Tony can see the officers standing there. They don’t look comfortable at all at the idea that they have to guard the one and only Captain America. Tony wishes they just wouldn’t have arrested him.

“There’s another meeting for the accords in two weeks,” Steve suddenly says before he’s rolled away. “It’s probably the last one needed. If that one goes well, our team will go free.”

Tony nods, understanding what Steve is trying to say. He’ll go along for now, without a fight. But if there’s no change after that meeting, he won’t be so nice anymore. Tony doesn’t want him in a cell for the rest of his life, so he’ll probably not be there to help against his escape.

Then Steve is out of the room. Peter stands there for a little moment, eyes averted from the scene. There’s tears threatening to roll out. Tony reaches out for him, indicating that he needs to come close. Peter drops his bag again and sits on the side of the bed, allowing Tony to hug him tightly. It’s not an easy position, given the immobilization he’s currently in.

“I’m sorry, I’m so happy that you’re going to get better. But I also didn’t want Steve-“ he doesn’t finish. Tony just pats his shoulder, pressing a quick kiss against his hair. “It’s just- he came to save you, and now they’ve taken him into custody. They’ll transport him away this evening.”

Tony nods, still unable to speak. He lets out a long sigh, allows Peter to pull back. The two look at each other for a moment before Tony points his finger at Peter’s chest.

“I’m doing fine, Dad,” Peter says, understanding what he’s asking. “Harry’s going to school now. It’s actually quite funny, because he’s got the biggest crush on MJ, and she’s being completely awkward around him.”

Tony smiles when he sees Peter do the same, despite his tears. He lifts his hand up until it’s in Peter’s hair, and then he pulls him forward again. A short kiss is pressed against the teenager’s forehead. After that, he lets go of him.

_You go home, son. Go enjoy your evening._

He doesn’t need to say it, but Peter understands it either way. He stands up to take his bag again. Then he starts walking to the opened door. He gives Tony one last look, then a wave. Tony nods at him with a smile. After that, Peter’s walking out.

Tony goes through his tablet for a little bit longer. After that, he just lies his head back down. He falls asleep faster than ever.

 

* * *

 

 

There are some more tests over the next few days. The doctors are quick in realizing his new liver is fast in stabilizing itself again. As a regenerating organ, one would expect it to take a while for it to get to a good size that would be considered normal. As it is, it’s only after three days that they come up with the CT that shows him a picture of a seemingly three-month-old transplanted liver.

“It’s amazing,” Dr. Cho says, though she’s not as surprised as the other doctors. “Your liver is working just as well as Steve’s. It’s burning through your medications more quickly than they used to so we’re going to have to change your dose again.”

“Any change in another part in the body?” Tony asks. It’s a genuine question, one he’s been wondering ever since this morning when he walked towards the bathroom and accidentally broke the sink. When he looked into the mirror, he couldn’t help but notice the slight change in size of his muscles. They’re not as big as Steve’s, but they’re still lager than he can remember.

“It does seem like the serum has… merged a little bit with your DNA. With your blood passing through the liver to be cleaned, it’s basically spreading the small amount of serum you’ve got over all of your body.”

Tony takes the CT-picture to have a good look at it. Meanwhile, the nurse starts pulling away the bandage to clean his wound, only to snort when she sees the state of it.

“It’s incredible,” she says. Dr. Cho nods.

“You’re not healing as quickly as Steve, but your suture shouldn’t be looking like this yet. It’s truly fascinating.”

Tony hands her the picture again. His left wrist moves with ease again. That’s good. So do his fingers. There’s no stiffness in them anymore.

“Is it temporary?” he asks. Dr. Cho shakes her head, hands still holding Tony’s chart.

“We don’t know,” she admits. “For now, it doesn’t seem like it. But the amount you have is significantly smaller than Steve.”

Tony nods, though he’s not particularly sure what to think of this. He’d been expecting that he would be staying in here for another two weeks or so, but after what the other doctor just told him… It seems like he’ll be home by the end of the week. Though, regular check-ups with Dr. Cho will be necessary. While she’s no expert on the Super Soldier serum, she’s the one who knows most about it other than Bruce, and Tony’s not seeing him anywhere around.

Another part of suddenly having a small glimpse of Steve’s powers is at how augmented everything is. If this isn’t even close to what Steve is feeling, Tony really feels sorry for the man. He’s constantly on edge, hearing noises from too far away to even smelling what his neighbor is eating in the room next to him. He’s no longer in ICU, having been brought over to a private room on a transplant-recovery department. His visiting hours are much better now, though given that Pepper still has a company to look after, she’s not here as often as she was when his survival wasn’t guaranteed. He’s not expecting Peter tonight, having told him to take a day off, swing around town for a bit. Though he wouldn’t be surprised if he would pass by just for a few minutes before visiting hours are over.

After he’s alone in his room again he decides to get out of bed for a moment. Just because the scar is healing faster than it should be doesn’t mean that it still isn’t hurting. He groans when he pushes himself upright. When they were alone, before the nurse came by, Dr. Cho told him that his healing process reminds her a bit of Peter’s after the Goblin’s attack. Of course, she couldn’t compare it completely since, once again, Peter’s had a full dose of venom and Tony just has a small bit of it.

He’s starting to form a headache again. His thoughts are going much faster than before, and he finds that he can’t quite catch up to it after a while. With input coming from everywhere, he can understand what Peter meant when he said that the lenses on his suit help him focus more. It almost feels like Tony needs one of those of his own. Oh, shit, what has become of him…?

He hears footsteps half a minute before there’s a knock on the door. By the sound of the heels, he figures it’s probably Sharon given how fast she’s walking. She’s called a little while earlier, but she couldn’t come back yet. Tony didn’t blame her for it; she was on a SHIELD-mission and she couldn’t compromise it. Though she came close to it, he thinks.

“Tony, are you in there?” she asks. Tony, who realizes he’s standing in the bathroom staring at his own face, shakes himself awake a bit and turns back around.”

“Yes, just come in,” he says, voice still raspy. The door opens while he walks back to his bed. Suddenly there are arms surrounding him and a girl about his size hugging him tightly. He chuckles a little bit, patting her back. “Here’s my Munchkin.”

“You asshole, don’t you ever almost die again when I’m not here!” she hisses at him, punching him on the shoulder. Tony loses his balance for a moment, but she holds him back.

“Yeah, fine, next time I’ll wait to die until you’re by my side, how’s that?” he jokes, rubbing his shoulder. Sharon punches him again.

“You’re not funny at all!” she returns, though there’s a small smile on her lips. Good, that’s what Tony was trying to achieve. “Actually, I just came from Norway. There was a crashed ship there we needed to check out.”

“What’s so special about a crashed ship?” Tony asks with a frown. He pulls away from Sharon to sit himself back down on the bed. Sharon takes place on the seat next to him and pulls up the files.

“I’m not really supposed to be showing you this, but it kind of involves a friend of yours,” she admits. Tony gives her a confused look before opening up the file, taking a look inside. “It’s not just a ship; it’s a spaceship.”

There’s pictures of the crash site, a ship as big as Stark Tower itself, landed on an open field. There’s smoke everywhere, people being evacuated away from it, dressed in clothing that don’t seem from this century.

“Asgardians,” Sharon explains while nodding. She then points towards one dark-skinned woman in white armor-like clothes, holding a sword in her hand. “According to this woman, their home has been destroyed. They were going to build a new home somewhere in Norway. But they encountered an enemy ship and they’ve lost their King and Prince somewhere in Space, along with half of their population.”

“Their King being Odin?” Tony asks, going to the next page. Sharon shakes her head.

“No, according to her Odin is dead. Thor is the new king. They said that, whoever this new enemy is, he threw Thor away into space like he was nothing. Loki then used some leverage to convince him to let everybody go.”

Tony looks through the pictures. There’s another few aliens that don’t seem to fit in with the Asgardians. The last page he comes by is a familiar face. His eyes open wide.

“You recognize her, don’t you? She’s been in SHIELD’s custody for a while before. How she got on the ship is unclear since last we knew she was still on Earth.”

The picture is in black and white, but he can just easily imagine the bright purple color of her hair. Though, due to a long time away it seems like the brown is already coming back. She looks like she’s been into battle, wearing a suit that makes her look ready for the arena. Tony takes a deep breath, remembering what it is she could do.

“Tony, SHIELD never really told us much about this girl. What’s the deal with her?”

Tony looks up at his cousin. He doesn’t really think it’s a good idea to keep it quiet.

“She came down with the Chitauri on the day of the invasion. When I destroyed the base, they all died except for her. Which is why SHIELD took special interest in her,” he explains. He pulls up his tablet and logs in to his hidden files. There he brings up her case. “The Hulk found her, kicked her ass, but she didn’t die despite it. So we took her in. She was watched almost the entire time by one of our team to make sure she wouldn’t break free.

“Until Fury decided that she could be a part of the team, instead. You know, with Thor back in space, he probably figured the team could use another alien. Everybody agreed, but I just- I never really trusted her. To be honest; she scared me, okay?”

Sharon takes the tablet from him as she pulls up video files of some of the rescues Yael has done in the past. There’s not a lot, and she’s never recognizable due to the outfit.

“She took the codename Element – thought we could get in trouble if we called her ‘Avatar’ so we didn’t use that opportunity. But after a while, she pulled a Phoenix on us. She lost control, the Hulk had to take her out. She lost her memories ever since and somehow befriended both Deadpool and my Son.”

“Holy crap, that’s intense,” she admits. “It sucks that SHIELD keeps these things hidden from us.” Tony just shrugs in response and takes the tablet back from her.

“Has she spoken yet?” he asks. Sharon shakes her head.

“Not really, she seems somewhat in shock.” Then Sharon’s phone goes off again. A sigh comes from both of them as Tony closes the file again and locks the tablet once more. “Carter here.”

Tony takes a deep breath. He’s got a feeling that things are about to get much worse now. Thor’s gone, Loki’s out there somewhere again. A full civilization from outer space now seeking refuge on Earth… It’s getting closer and Tony’s feeling like he’s completely out of time to stop it now. He should have known, should have perfected the Ultron-project and tried again. He should have prepared the world more than this.

Sharon sighs next to him. Tony blinks at her. She hangs up the phone.

“You heard about the explosion in Midland Circle, right?” she asks. Tony nods, remembering reading about it this morning. He asked Vision if he would take a look, but according to him there wasn’t anything there to be found anymore. The only news he had to give was the passing of Daredevil – the guy who had disappeared for a while but only returned for this last gig.

“The action’s just coming from everywhere, isn’t it?” he asks as Sharon starts to collect her things. She just laughs nervously.

“You don’t say. I suppose I should go and see what they need me for. Are you going to be alright here?”

Tony shrugs with a smirk.

“Nowhere I can go for now,” he says in defeat. Sharon just smiles sadly at him before leaning forward to kiss his cheek. Then she pulls on her white coat again and hurries back to the door.

“Be safe, couz,” she tells him. Then she hurries out, taking her files and everything else with her. Tony doesn’t respond. Instead he takes a deep breath and tries to calm his entire body down. Being nervous isn’t going to help him get out of here, after all. He looks up at his IV-bag, seeing that the thing is nearly empty. He just wishes he could take it out.

He could really use a talk with Steve now, a way to pull him back into reality. Somebody to tell him that it’s going to be alright. But Steve isn’t here, he’s in prison. Locked up because he wanted to help Tony, to save his life.

At least he’s not at the Raft. That would have been much worse. They’re just waiting for the trial until _after_ the business with the accords are done.

But crap, he still can’t shake the idea of Thor being gone. Loki, he doesn’t care too much about, but Thor always seemed invincible to him. If this person can bring _him_ down, what use is he, a mere human, in rescuing the world when it’ll come. And it’ll eventually come. There’s no more denying that.

He takes a few deep breaths and keeps on looking at his IV.

This isn’t going to work. He can’t do anything here. Without another thought, he closes the line to prevent it from leaking everywhere. Then he grabs some tissues from the table, rips off the bandage on his arm and pulls the catheter out. It doesn’t hurt at all, so he presses on it for a moment to stop it from bleeding. After making sure that there won’t be any unnecessary blood loss, Tony hurries to his closet where he takes out a fresh pair of clothing Peter brought along a few days back. He puts it on with difficulty because of the large scar on his torso.

 _If I wanted the logo of a car on my body, I would have chosen Audi,_ he thinks to himself, hating the Mercedes-resembling symbol on his skin. He has trouble putting on his shoes, but eventually he’s ready. Putting up his hood and throwing the bag over his shoulder and after leaving a note for the nurses, he opens the door to check if there’s anybody in the hallway.

It’s empty.

With a small grin, he exits the room. And after that, the hospital.

He’s got work to do, after all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings  
> \- Talks about surgery and liver transplantation  
> \- Criminal Steve  
> \- Being a hero doesn't automatically fix your relationship  
> \- Sharon returns with lots of news  
> \- Thor Ragnarok spoilers  
> \- References to Thanos  
> \- Tony is a sneaky jerk that doesn't listen to what he's told  
> \- Super Soldier Serum. Think about that for a moment.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the beginning of the end of the story. Like I said, there's going to be insinuations to Infinity War, but nothing specific about it. That's left for the third part of the series (And one timestamp I've already written out, because I'm evil).  
> This chapter insinuates that at least a few days have passed since the surgery. Tony, of course, is pretending he's fine. That doesn't mean he is.  
> Chapter warnings in end notes

Peter finds Bruce Banner by pure chance.

He’s swinging around New York after another school day, expecting nothing more than the usual robbery or mugging, when suddenly, something large and green comes crashing down in a building not too far from where he currently is standing.

With his mind reminding him that Tony doesn’t want him to go after the big guys, Peter hesitates for a moment before going to investigate. He’s not planning on taking him on, after all, all he wants is to have a quick look and see if he has to call somebody. Maybe SHIELD, since Sharon came by the tower the day after Tony escaped from the hospital (mostly to curse his head off), and then told Peter to just call the number if he ever found anything strange.

And while he’s talking about strange, he wouldn’t have expected to meet Dr. Strange and another man along with it.

He’s on top of the opening in the roof. It’s a bit of a distance, but he can see enough inside of the building. He can vaguely remember that he’s currently in Bleecker Street. The building he’s currently standing on is one he’s been avoiding for a while, always getting strange vibes from it. At least now he knows why.

Dr. Strange has changed a lot since the last time Peter saw him. It probably starts with the clothes. Since when does the man, the Neurosurgeon of the year, wear a cape? And orange gloves? What the hell is this, even?

But it’s the slowly shrinking man they’re all looking at that deserves the most attention. While the skin is slowly turning from green to its usual tanned color, Peter realizes all too well who this man is. It’s been years since he last saw him, but it’s undeniably him.

“No way,” he mutters, jumping inside of the building. He drops down next to the man with Dr. Strange, who is creating some weird orange symbols that give light out of his hands. Peter would have been more impressed, but there’s no time for it right now. “Dr. Banner! Where have you been!” he shouts.

The man is lying on his back, looking pretty much like he’s been thrown through a roof. Peter has no clue where he came from, but he’s sure Bruce can explain it after a while. He wants to hurry towards the man, but suddenly whatever orange light these men are producing, it’s stopping him from moving.

Peter’s turned around by a confused Dr. Strange. The man next to him holds up his glowing hands as if he’s ready to defend himself.

“I’m a bit surprised that not only _one_ Avenger drops down through my roof. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Strange asks. He isn’t letting Peter go, no matter how much he struggles against the hold.

“Well, uh, technically I’m not an Avenger yet? You see, it’s mostly with these accords meaning I would have to reveal who I am and-“

“Okay, just shut it for a moment,” Strange says in that typical low voice of his. Peter listens and keeps his mouth shut. After that, he’s released from his hold again. Peter shakes his arms loose for a moment. When there’s another groan from behind him, he turns around to see Bruce sitting up a bit, looking around in confusion.

“Where- uh where am I?” the man asks in confusion while rubbing his eyes. He hisses a bit when he accidentally pushes a stone inside instead.

“In the New York Sanctorum,” the other man says. He has a strong accent, so he mustn’t be from around here. “Where did you come from?”

Bruce fidgets the little stone out of his eye and tries to stand up. He shoots one short look at Peter (as Spider-Man) and then he takes a deep breath.

“I, uh, last I remember I was about to attack a giant wolf on the Bifröst. Did we lose?”

“Holy shit, you went to Asgard?!” Peter asks enthusiastically. He really needs to call Tony! “Wait, now that you’re back, will you spend Christmas with us? I’m sure it would cheer Tony up a bit! He’s got so many things to tell you, I’m sure!”

Oh, he’s running his mouth again.

“Be quiet!” Strange warns him again, making a wavy movement with his hand and shutting Peter’s mouth for him. Even if he wants to talk, he can’t open his mouth anymore.

“ _Danger sensed, calling Mr. Stark now,”_ Karen says in his ear. Peter can’t even respond to stop the command. Meanwhile, Strange walks down to where Bruce is now standing, giving him a once-over. Peter hums, and makes other loud noises if his mouth can’t be opened, but Strange doesn’t let go.

“So, Dr. Banner,” Strange says. “You’ve been missing for a while.”

“So I’ve heard- who are you again?” Bruce asks in confusion. Strange just snorts and turns around again, motioning for him to follow. He gives Peter one short nod to tell him he needs to join them as well. Peter wants to warn him about the phone call that is currently being made, but the spell on his mouth doesn’t seem to let go.

“ _Peter?”_

Ah, crap, Tony picked up. Peter makes more noise, but while he sees Tony’s face in front of him, all Tony can see is what Peter can see. So Peter makes sure that Tony can get a full view of everything.

“ _Peter, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”_ Tony asks with a sigh. Peter just hopes he isn’t going to jump into his suit; he’s in _no_ way recovered enough for that already. The fact remains that he still should be in the hospital right now, but knowing Tony Stark, waiting in there isn’t his strongest suit.

After looking at Strange for a few times, who is giving him a funny look, Peter turns to a stumbling Bruce Banner. Then he points at him, trying to say his name despite his mouth being closed. He’s probably shaking to much, because there’s nothing coming from Tony. Peter hurries towards Dr. Banner and grabs him by the arm, pointing towards his face.

“What’s- what do you want? Who are you?” Bruce asks in confusion, scratching his hair in confusion.

“ _Son of a bitch,”_ Tony finally says. Peter jumps up in the air in excitement. He lets go of Bruce and turns back to Strange, pointing at his mouth. Strange snorts but then shakes his head.

“What, and have you talking our ears off some more? No thanks,” he returns. Peter groans, but then makes a ‘calling’ gesture towards him. _I’m on the phone but I can’t speak_. Strange’s face pales then, and he walks back to Peter to get rid of any calling devices. Right when he’s about to rip the mask from Peter’s head, the teenager jumps back, shaking his head.

He stomps his foot on the ground and points at Bruce once again, who just looks extremely confused about it all.

“For crying out loud, Strange, lift the spell or he’s going to keep up this tantrum!” the other man finally shouts at him. Strange gives him an annoyed look, but eventually _does_ wave with his hands again. Peter’s mouth falls open after that and he takes a deep breath.

“What I was trying to say; Dad! He just fell out of the sky and I was on patrol and I decided to check it out and it’s actually him I saw him turn back to normal but he was green and huge and-“

“Hey, hey, hey!” Strange calls out, grabbing Peter by the shoulders. “Who are you talking to?”

“Tony Stark! Bruce I’m talking with Tony! You’ve been gone for so long but now you’re finally back and it’s just so awesome! Dad can you see him? Can you? Will you send somebody to pick us up?”

“What the hell is going on?” Bruce asks, seeming more confused than ever.

“ _Vision is on his way. And we’re going to have a little talk about you calling me ‘dad’ in front of strangers, Mr. Parker,”_ Tony says on the other line. Peter just groans the moment the call has ended. Then he pulls the mask off and turns back to Bruce. It’s probably better for him to see an actual face.

“Listen, man, I’m Peter, and I’m Tony’s son! So much crap has happened since you’ve been gone but we can bring you up to date, okay? Vision is on his way to get you and-“

“The Vision? Wha- Tony’s _son_?!” Bruce lets out a deep breath and goes to lean against the wall for a moment. “Listen, kid, Peter? Peter, I get that you’re excited, but if you don’t give me a _little_ bit of space things are probably going to get green again.”

Peter presses his lips together then, shutting up wisely.

“Who-ever this _Vision_ is, you can already tell him to go home, uh, young Mister Stark,” Dr. Strange says. Peter then turns around to the man. “We’ll take care of this.”

“Actually, I’m not-“ he starts, but he decides not to reveal it. It’s probably too much information, he already knows his face now after all. Peter Stark it is for now. “You don’t understand, sir. This man is like one of my Dad’s best friends, and he’s been missing for more than a year. It would mean the world to him if he would return back safely.”

“Well, Mr. Stark, I. Don’t. Care.” Dr. Strange walks off again, with Wong following behind him. Bruce gives Peter a short look before heading in the same direction.

“C’mon, kid. I’m sure this guy has some things to discuss,” he says. Peter watches them go for a moment, but decides to go then, as well. He gets into a large hallway filled with what looks like ancient artifacts. He feels his mouth open in surprise as he takes it all in.

“Whoa, where are we?” he asks in fascination.

“The New York Sanctorum. Jesus, do you have difficulties in paying attention maybe?” Dr. Strange asks. Peter throws a glare his way, but the man doesn’t see it. He gets onto the stairwell and starts going upstairs. There are even more artifacts there. Peter halts a bit at a large sword. Curiosity gets the better of him and he takes it into his hand. It’s lighter than he’d expected. He starts swinging around a bit with it, suddenly feeling like a badass Ninja.

When he hears somebody clears his throat further away, he is quick in putting it back, cheeks reddened.

“Uh, where are you taking us?” Peter asks. He gets no answer. He hurries after Bruce until he’s walking right next to him, and then they come in a open room with a large window. There are a few seats there, and Strange takes place on one of them. Wong just comes to stand at the window, looking outside.

Bruce sits down as well. Peter takes the seat next to him. Then the two of them wait for Strange to start.

“Tea?” he asks. Bruce nods, but Peter shakes his head. In just a blink of the eye, Bruce has a steamy mug in his hands. “What do you drink?”

“Uh, do you have Sprite?” he asks nervously. Strange raises his eyebrow and then suddenly there’s a full glass in his hand. Peter’s mouth falls open. “Whoa, that’s just awesome!”

“So I’ve heard,” Strange answers. “Now, Dr. Banner, if you may, just, tell us where exactly you’ve been?”

Bruce, who is trying to take a sip from his tea, nods.

“Uh, I don’t really know what _exactly_ happened,” he admits. There’s a sound in the background, but nobody looks up. It’s not surprising when Vision suddenly joins them in the room. When he opens his mouth, Peter holds up his hand to silence him. Vision stares at him but then nods.

“The last thing I remember, I was rescuing Natasha back in Sokovia. She, uh, she kissed me and then threw me into a deep hole or something. Next thing I know, I’m suddenly in the quinjet, standing next to Thor who suddenly had short hair. He told me I was on a whole other planet and that he needed my help.”

Strange just nods. Peter bites his lip as he waits to hear what happens next.

“Uh, apparently I had been the Hulk ever since the Ultron-business. They used me as a gladiator of sorts. Thor and the Hulk had fought in a battle, but I don’t really know how that ended. We both survived at least.”

“That’s so cool,” Peter interrupts. When Strange gives him an annoyed look, he apologizes and puts his hands in his lap.

“Anyway, along with this really amazing woman and Thor’s annoying brother we escaped from Sakaar and hurried back to Asgard, where Thor’s sister apparently was causing all kinds of destruction.”

“His sister?” Dr. Strange asks with a raised eyebrow. Bruce nods.

“Yes, Odin’s first born, legally the one who had a right to claim the throne. Of course, she was awful so nobody wanted her as a queen. Thor went to face her, and Brunnhilde couldn’t defeat Hela’s huge wolf so I went back down. After that, I woke up here. Whatever happened in between, I have no idea. I’m actually even surprised I’m still here.”

Strange nods again. Peter clears his throat.

“Actually, Dad said Asgard’s been destroyed. Its survivors are somewhere in Norway, he said,” he admits. Bruce looks up after that, mouth fallen open.

“Destroyed? I thought Thor wanted to prevent Ragnarok?” he asks. Peter shrugs.

“We don’t know more. SHIELD is on the scene. They’re helping out the survivors. Apparently, you met up with some guy in who shot Thor out into space.”

Bruce stares at him.

“Wait, just… who are you again?”

“Peter… Stark. I’m Tony’s son,” he repeats. He can understand Bruce’s confusion in this.

“Yeah, well, I can see the resemblance,” Bruce says. Then he stands up, dropping his empty cup of tea down on the table. “Now, Dr. Strange, is there anything else you need? Or am I allowed to take my best friend’s son back to his home?”

“Actually, I would have liked to ask a few more questions if that’s alright, Dr. Banner?”

Bruce shakes his head.

“If you don’t mind, might I at least, I don’t know, get the chance to take a shower and put on some… clothes? It’s a wonder that Tony’s pants didn’t completely rip when I changed into… the other guy. He likes to wear them tight, you know!”

“Dude, gross,” Peter groans. Dr. Strange snorts.

“I suppose that’s alright. Wouldn’t want to anger you after all,” the man says. He holds out his hand towards Bruce, and Bruce accepts the handshake. “I’ll find you, don’t you worry.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried. I suppose you’ll find us at Avengers Tower,” Bruce says with a light smile, though it’s obvious he doesn’t really mean it.

“Uh, there’s no Avengers tower anymore. Tony sold it back to Stark Industries. The Avengers have their own facility upstate,” Peter corrects him. Bruce seems confused but then sighs.

“I suppose I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“The Avengers are in hiding, Natasha’s blonde now, Steve’s in prison and Tony almost died but survived because of a liver transplant,” Peter blurts out. Everybody looks at him with a strange expression and Peter just shrugs. “I simply gave him a quick recap. Oh, and Vision and Wanda are kind of a thing.”

“Peter, I really don’t think that matters right now,” Vision says, sounding embarrassed about the sudden mention of it. If he was human, he would have been blushing right now.

“I suppose it’s time to leave,” Bruce adds to that. He takes Peter by the shoulder and nods to Vision. “Where’s the exit?”

“Take the stairs down, then go through the large door. That, or you can go through the hole in the wall before we close it again?”

“We’ll just take the door. Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

 

“So they’re all in Wakanda?” Bruce asks, taking a sip from his water.

They’re all at the dining table. For the rare occasion Tony cooked something. That could either mean it would be extremely delicious, _or_ extremely deadly. Given how everybody’s plate is empty now, it must have been the first of the two options.

The reunion between Tony and Bruce has been wordless. The two just looked at each other, and suddenly Tony pulled him into a strong and long hug. His eyes might have been a bit red, but there hasn’t been more reaction than that. After that, Bruce has left to take a shower, and he’s currently dressed in one of Tony’s slacks and a shirt from Steve. He didn’t ask questions about it when Tony gave it to him.

Peter has been silent the entire time, mostly enjoying the addition in the house for a moment. Even Vision is at the table, having finished his plate in record time. Apparently, the guy loves food, despite never having eaten before!

“Yes, except for Steve, who is here,” Tony adds. Bruce whistles, a bit overwhelmed by the information.

“So, uh, you have a son now?” he asks. “And, uh, a new liver? Remind me again why you’re not at the hospital if the surgery was only five days ago?”

“I take my meds, don’t worry,” Tony says, waving the concern off. “I had Happy throw all alcoholic drinks out, Dr. Cho comes by every day to check on me. Have I told you I have a bit of super-soldier serum in me, too?”

“How did that happen?” Bruce asks in confusion. Tony hides behind his glass, so Peter speaks up.

“Steve flew all the way from Wakanda to donate his liver to him. Sadly, somebody called the cops on him and now he’s in jail until they’ve finalized the accords.”

Bruce clears his throat, dropping his own glass.

“I don’t really know what to think about these accords, Tony. They don’t really sound practical to me.”

“Oh, no they aren’t. I realize that more and more now. But I’m still behind them,” Tony responds.

“Yet you don’t want me to sign them?” Peter asks, unimpressed by that answer.

“I don’t want the government to know who you really are, it’s different,” Tony counters. Peter sighs.

“So, what, I’ll be the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man for the rest of my life?”

“That’s what you wanted, yourself?”

“For a while, yeah, but not forever!”

“Just, uh, remind me again how Tony Stark’s son ended up being, uh, _Spider-Man_?” Bruce asks. Peter and Tony turn to look at him and Bruce leans back in his seat. “Wow, that’s just, two pairs of the exact same eyes looking at me right now. This is so weird. Are you sure you didn’t just clone yourself? Is this what you used to look like?”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Tony counters while rolling his eyes. Peter sits up in his chair. Vision takes another portion and starts eating it again. Is it his third plate, now?

“I got bit by a radioactive spider back at Oscorp,” Peter repeats. Bruce nods, though it’s clear he’s still not completely following.

“And you’re not dead how?” he asks. Peter shrugs.

“That’s complicated, actually. I could give you my parents notes on the spiders? My other dad created them after all.”

Bruce nods.

“Actually, I would be very interested in reading those. It’s really fascinating. Does your strength come close to Steve’s?”

Peter shrugs at that. "We've never really tested it out, but I think I might be stronger than him. And a lot stronger than Tony, even though he has a bit of serum in him as well.” Peter winks. Tony grunts.

“Yeah, well, it’s driving me crazy. There’s just so much happening around me I can barely concentrate on upgrading Dum-E’s codes!” Tony complains. “It’s insane, Brucie! There’s noise coming from everywhere! If I stand close enough to you, I might even hear your heart beating.”

“Wow, that’s weird,” Bruce exclaims. “If you don’t mind, I might want to have a look at your blood, see what exactly has been changed?”

“Yeah, go wild!” Tony says. He stands up to take the plates before Peter jumps up as well.

“Stop it! I’ll do this, you just stay down,” Peter tells him. Of course, Tony has been doing too much despite still being in recovery. He’s, as always, ignoring his health to keep himself busy. Peter gives him a disapproving glance. Tony relents, rolling his eyes and handing the plate back to him. Vision, too, stands up to help Peter along. Besides, the last time Tony tried to do the dishes, he destroyed all their plates with his new strength.

When the two are at the kitchenette to start with the dishes, Peter sees Vision stare back at Bruce. He’s silently hovering in the air, probably not even noticing it, while he’s drying off one of the plates Peter’s just handed to him.

“It’s weird to see Dr. Banner here again,” Vision admits. Peter doesn’t move, but he does nod.

“You know, I only saw him once before, and I was just starstruck the entire time. I used to be such a big fan- I mean, I still am, but… yeah, things are different now I suppose.”

“You didn’t use to have Tony Stark as a father back then?” Vision tries. Peter laughs.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s part of it,” Peter agrees. “Though I also wonder why we have a dishwasher if we never use it.”

“I suppose it’s to bring up some family tradition Mr. Stark never had before,” Vision admits. Peter laughs again. After that they continue in silence, hearing a low murmur between Bruce and Tony. He could focus on what they’re saying, but he doesn’t really feel like invading their privacy.

After a while the two of them join the two others again. They decide to pull up a movie to offer some form of relaxation to the scientist who has been gone for a long time. They chose the newest Star Wars movie, since Bruce missed the release of that one. Tony brings up some popcorn. They don’t leave the couch the entire evening. After the movie, they go to bed.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony stays a bit too long in the bathroom.

He’s behind the sink, having just brushed his teeth. His beard has been growing ever since his admittance in the hospital, but he hasn’t gotten around to shave it back to the usual goatee. His shirt is on the floor. He’s only wearing his pajama pants. It’s an exercise Dr. Wynedell made up for him, for him to accept the current state of his body. So far, Tony hasn’t been looking at his scar. He’s been avoiding it all the time, closing his eyes whenever he’s facing the mirror.

Even now, he’s hunched forward until all he can see is his face.

“Get over this crap, Stark,” Tony mutters to his reflection. Nervously, he starts rubbing the scar on his sternum again. He pulls away the moment his fingers touch the new scar. Right, they’re overlapping now. Tony groans, starting up the water and grabbing his bottle of pills. They’re supposed to prevent rejection of the organ, but he would think the liver is so righteous for it to be rejected.

But then again, didn’t Tony reject the righteous owner of said liver, too?

“Tony, are you ready to go?” Bruce asks from outside the door. Tony stands up, with that accidentally getting a good view of his entire chest. He gasps in surprise, closing his eyes immediately.

“Uh.. I, uh… I’ll be there in five,” he tells Bruce. Then he turns around to avoid the mirror again, hurrying to his pile of clothes. He takes his shirt in his hand, pulls it over his chest, and only then manages to let out the long breath he’d been holding. He takes a few seconds to relax.

“Are you alright in there, Tones?” Bruce asks. Tony nods, despite the man not being able to see it.

“Yeah, uh… I’m alright.”

He takes his jeans from the ground, hurries out of the pajama and gets himself dressed completely. He avoids the mirror again now. Without looking, he grabs his bottle of pills, checks if it’s the right one before leaving the room again.

Bruce is standing outside, wearing clothes that actually fit him this time. It’s almost noon and Peter’s at school again. Vision is somewhere around here, though Tony has no idea where.

“If you don’t want to go that’s okay, Tony. I can understand it’s not easy for you,” Bruce reminds him. Tony shakes his head.

“It’s alright, I can handle it Bruciebear,” Tony says, gently slapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s go!”

And so they leave after that. They go to the garage whey they chose Tony’s favorite car. Happy’s with Pepper now, and Tony doesn’t want to disturb him for something like this. They go for the least noticeable car this time, so this one has a roof. Then Tony puts himself behind the wheel with Bruce next to him in the passenger seat.  _Try not to break anything. Don't break anything!_

“Can I be honest, Tony?” Bruce asks after they’ve left the building. Tony feels a small chill going through him at the question. Whenever somebody asks something like this, usually something awful is going to follow.

“Uh, come at me,” Tony says, trying to sound sure but feeling anything but.

“While I understand your feelings towards Steve and what happened back in Siberia, I think you should know something.”

Tony bites his lips together. It’s no time for lousy comebacks.

“Before I, uh… when I still worked with Ross and Betty I, uh… I lashed out. Betty got hurt in the process, and I would have thought she would never want to see me again after that. Yet, when we came across each other again, she took me back in, looked out for me. Despite the horrible things I’ve done for her, she still loved me, and I still loved her.”

Tony doesn’t react. He clears his throat.

“And after that, with Nat, in the helicarrier. She got hurt as well. Despite that, despite everything, she still decided I was worth something.”

“I don’t really see how our situations are the same here, Brucie,” Tony adds. Bruce sighs.

“I don’t see why not, Tony. You acted out of anger. It’s a horrible thing you can’t always control. Steve understands that, and he still loves you despite of it.”

Tony sighs.

“I don’t- I don’t know how to look at Steve without remembering Siberia. And he might love me, and I might love him, but in the end it doesn’t change what happened.”

Bruce closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Let me put it this way; has Steve told you he resents you for it?” he asks. Tony throws him a sideways glance, but immediately turns back to the road.

“He… hasn’t?” Tony responds.

“Then what makes you keep on thinking he’s suffering from it? From what you’ve told me, the only suffering he’s been doing is to be apart from you. There’s only one thing and that’s you, Tony. Nothing else.”

Tony keeps his mouth shut again. He doesn’t really know how to respond to that. He knows Bruce has a point, but it still just… he doesn’t know.

“Peter said something about Christmas back at Dr. Strange’s. What exactly was he talking about, Tony?” Bruce asks. Tony turns to him and gives him a faint smile.

“Yeah, it’s a little get-together. So far only a few of the Souza-Carter family are going to join, but you’re welcome, too,” Tony explains. Bruce nods happily.

“Will you invite Steve, too?” he then asks. Tony’s smile disappears again.

“In case you’ve missed it, he’s in jail. That’s where we’re going, remember?”

“If everything goes right, he won’t be for long,” Bruce responds. “Hey, c’mon Tony. Stop wallowing in the past. Let everything go and be the man of the future again, okay?”

“Remember when you told me you’re not a therapist?” Tony asks without really reacting otherwise. Bruce nods. “I’m kind of getting better advice from you than from my actual psychiatrist. That means something.”

The two don’t speak again after that. They listen to the radio where they hear another story about the explosion in Midland Circle. Tony hasn’t heard from Sharon on that part, so he doesn’t really know what happened out there other than the _Defenders_ being out there.

That’s what they’re being called. If anybody asks Tony, it’s just a knock-off from the Avengers, but who is he to judge?

Tony eventually stops the car in front of the prison. The pair walks out, giving each other a short look before heading into the prison. There they’re being checked on weapons and other devices. Tony voluntarily hands in his gauntlet-watch. After that they’re being taken along through a series of hallways by a silent guard.

Eventually the man knocks his stick against the bars.

“Rogers! You have visitors!”

One person looks up, and he nods. Then he stands up and starts walking to somewhere on his right. The guard motions for Tony and Bruce to follow him.

If there’s _one_ thing to say, it’s that orange isn’t a good color on Steve. It’s too wild, too heavy. Too much like fire, while Steve’s more like water instead. He’s always so calm and reserved, and the orange overall just seems to mock everybody around him while he’s wearing it.

His hair has grown ever since the last time Tony saw him back at the compound. His beard still hasn’t been shaved. Despite that, he still looks like a goddamn model.

“Bruce, you’re back,” Steve says the moment he walks in and spots Bruce standing there. Tony is already seated and the other two follow suit.

“Hi Steve,” Bruce responds. Then he takes out another copy of the accords. It’s the newest version he’s been given, and hopefully it will also be the very last he’ll ever have to bring over. “The King of Wakanda already has a copy sent out to him, but we figured we want to see your last few suggestions as well.”

“How long have you been here?” Steve asks. Bruce shrugs.

“Since yesterday. It’s a long story I’ll eventually tell,” he returns. Steve nods before turning back to Tony.

“You should be in the hospital for at least three more weeks,” the super-soldier says sternly. Tony rolls his eyes at him but then gives him a wink.

“Don’t worry, I have a little Angel called ‘Helen Cho’ watching over me.” Then he scoots forward, taking out a pen and opening the book. “Now, let’s get this over with as quickly as possible, and hopefully we’ll get you out of here after the meeting next week.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings  
> \- Meeting Dr. Strange  
> \- Meeting Dr. Banner  
> \- Tony can't really handle being stronger  
> \- Tony hates his body  
> \- Bruce is a good bro


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting so close to the end!  
> Chapter warnings in the end notes.

The day Michelle Jones accepts Harry’s proposal to go on a date is the day Peter thought he would have seen elephants fly. By that, he means that he would never have thought it to happen, but yet, it still does.

Even after Harry’s asked the question, and though MJ hurried off right after she said ‘yes’, both Ned and Peter can’t but stare at their friend seated at their table with a surprised yet confused expression. After all; why _MJ?_ Harry’s been with models, actresses… Peter can’t really believe a guy like Harry would suddenly fall head over heels with a random high school girl, after all.

“You just don’t understand, boys,” Harry says after a few minutes of silent staring. Harry takes out his phone and starts going through it. He doesn’t have a lot of numbers, and he’s not even allowed to get a Facebook account despite his false name. The thing is mostly for show, to play games or to listen to music. “You’re right, why MJ? Well, I’ve been with fake girls all the time. They only cared about my money. But now that I don’t _have_ any money, I can know for sure somebody’ll like me just for me.”

“Yeah, but, I thought she was secretly crushing on Peter all the time, you know?” Ned asks out of the blue, and both Harry and Peter turn to him with eyes open wide. Ned blinks a few times, not understanding what he said wrong. “What is it?”

“Dude, you’re making things up,” Peter says, punching him in the arm. Ned lets out a little cry of surprise and then rubs his hurting arm.

“No, I’m not. Why do you think she’s always been so rude to you? She just doesn’t want you to notice how much she cares, because she’s afraid for it.”

Peter then turns back to Harry, holding up his hands.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just joking around. Of course you and MJ will have a good time and who knows what it’ll become! You can only try!”

“Right,” Harry says, though sounding a bit unsure. Lunch, after that, gets a bit tense again. They try more conversation, but nothing really feels good to talk about. Instead, they then take their stuff and make their way to the next class. When Peter sees MJ joining the group, he looks down immediately, cheeks blushing red in a reaction.

Class goes slowly. The teacher goes over their last test, which according to her more than half the class failed on. Peter got a perfect score, of course, but that’s probably because he now has two super intelligent people living in the tower.

“I propose that the people who failed go and seek out their fellow students who passed and ask for a bit of tutoring, since nobody obviously wants to listen at me.”

Ned and Harry turn to Peter, and he nods.

“This evening at the tower?” he offers. Ned nods, but Harry shakes his head.

“I have a date tomorrow,” he explains. Peter then shrugs.

“The day after then, after school? I’ll get Happy to pick us up.”

He raises his hand, and Ned and Harry respond in a high five. It’s not really that he’s going to help them to study for the test, but he’ll probably just ask Tony or Bruce to fill in for him. They like to teach, after all.

A make-up test is planned for the beginning of next week, which Peter thinks is enough time for it. Ned’s scores weren’t horrible, but they could have been better. That’s weird, too, since Ned is actually a pretty smart guy.

But, the test also came close to the release of a new game that he’d been waiting a long time for. Peter probably figures he’s been too busy playing to remember that he had a test.

Harry, on the other hand, while smart, also is lazy. Even when he was a kid he was always under the impression that he would succeed either way, mostly due to his father’s money. It seems like the habit stuck.

After the lesson starts officially, Peter starts taking notes. Given that it’s his final year at this school, he wants to make the best of it. Besides, he’s a bit out of inspiration to work on any improvements to his suit.

Still, after ten minutes his mind wanders again and he’s doodling either way. This time, it’s for the robot he’d been designing many months back. After all that crap, he’s never gotten around to finish it, which is too bad, really. Peter should resume his work on it when he gets home this evening.

Harry taps Peter on the shoulder. He stops doodling, looking up to face his friend. Harry’s been doodling as well, only he’s drawn something else entirely. It’s a small comic, with the Avengers as Peter used to know them. How the world still hopefully knows them even though they’re no longer together like this.

“I remember watching them on TV at the boarding school. It was kind of amazing,” Harry says, chuckling a bit. Peter shrugs.

“Yeah, it was less fun to be in the middle of it, though,” he admits, pointing at one of the big guys Harry’s drawn rather perfectly how Peter remembers it. “That space-whale gave me nightmares long after it happened.”

“No shit, I would get a fear of normal whales after this,” Harry counters. Peter laughs, and Harry laughs in return, only a bit louder. Peter stops immediately, feeling his eyes go wide. Suddenly all the sound in the class is disappearing, and all he’s hearing is Harry’s laugh, sharp and loud in the otherwise silent room. Is Peter imagining it? Or is Harry grinning here?

He stares, can’t seem to do anything else. Because Harry’s still laughing, and it’s slowly turning into a whole other sort of laugh. Green fills Peter’s vision. The smell of smoke comes up in his nose. What’s happening?

“Mr. Lyman! Is there anything you want to share, young man?” the teacher suddenly asks. Harry stops, pulling the comic away and sitting up straight at his seat.

“No, m’am,” he responds, though still lightly smirking. Peter wonders if he’s imagining the bit of green in Harry’s blue eyes.

“Mr. Parker, will you focus on the board as well?”

Peter just stares. He wants to turn away, but on the other hand he needs to be sure that it’s still Harry next to him and not the Goblin again. When Harry notices, he frowns at him.

“Hey Petey, are you alright?” he asks, reaching out for Peter. In a jump, Peter is out of his seat. The whole class is now looking at him, wondering why he’s reacting so weird. But Peter can’t speak, because he only sees Harry there and he isn’t sure if it’s Harry or the Goblin.

“Mr. Parker, sit down immediately,” the teacher calls out. Peter finally removes his gaze from his friend to look at the teacher. She looks pissed off and ready to give him detention, but Peter shakes his head.

“I don’t- I don’t feel well,” he admits before grabbing his stuff and hurrying out of the class to find himself a small, secluded spot where he can get back to his senses. After hiding in the boy’s restroom, he locks himself up in a little stall and dials down Tony’s number. He knows he shouldn’t disturb him with this stupid business, but it’s not like he can call Steve now.

 _“Mr. Parker, aren’t you supposed to be in school?”_ Tony asks without even bothering with a greeting. The way he sounds it’s clear that he’s keeping himself busy with whatever he’s working on this time.

“I’m- uh,  I’m still-. I just…”

“ _Pete, what’s wrong?”_ Of course, Tony catches up with it immediately. Peter is grateful for his perceptive father.

“I just- We were in class and I, we, uh, Harry and I were laughing but then I, uh.”

“ _Did something happen between you and Harry?”_

Peter shakes his head, taking a few deep breaths to calm his mind. A good rub in his eyes can probably remove the image of the Goblin out from his mind.

“He didn’t do anything- I just- when he laughed I thought I heard the Goblin and I panicked.”

A short silence on the other side of the line.

“ _Do you want me to come and get you?”_ Tony proposes, clearly out of his debt here. Peter shakes his head.

“No, I want to stay in school, I just… I needed to talk to somebody,” he assures Tony. “I’ll be fine, just… can you tell me something? Doesn’t matter what.”

“ _Okay,”_ Tony says, and then he starts explaining what he’s currently working on. Peter takes it all in, listening to all the engineering explanations that he understands so perfectly. He adds his own little commentary, giving pointers where he thinks they are necessary.

And when Peter feels relaxed again, at least as much as possible, he opens up the door and gets out of the stall.

“ _You good to get back to class now, Pete?”_ Tony asks when he runs the water to wash his hands.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Peter responds, putting the phone between his ear and shoulder and reaching for the towel to dry his hands. “What’s for dinner?”

“ _Well, Bruce is cooking so probably something exotic,”_ Tony jokes. Peter snorts in response. It’s good, having Bruce with them again. It lightens the mood a little bit at home, and Bruce is also good in keeping Tony in line whenever he’s neglecting his health. Whenever Tony starts a discussion, Bruce just warns him about feeling green again. After that, Tony always listens.

“Alright, I’ll see you after school, Dad,” Peter says.

“ _Yeah, till then, little Spider,”_ Tony returns. Peter rolls his eyes at the nickname he’s earned himself lately. Tony’s been using it more and more whenever he wants to embarrass Peter a bit. The two hang up. Peter shakes his limbs loose, throws some water into his face and then lets out a long and loud breath.

“Alright, let’s do this, Parker,” he tells himself. He walks out of the restroom, hurries to his locker to take the books to the next class, and makes his way to the place he needs to be. But, before he gets there, he makes a stop at his previous class. The students are currently walking outside since the class is over. They give him a weird look when he gets back in. He waves at Ned and Harry when they give him questioning glances.

He goes to the teacher, offers his apology. She only remarks that he’s still a bit pale, and that he should maybe go and see the nurse. Peter assures her that he’s doing better

“Dude, what the hell happened?” the two ask him at the same time. Peter shrugs.

“Sometimes I just get these panic attacks. My meds are supposed to stop them, but if they’re coming back I’ll probably have to switch medications again,” he admits. With the way his body is, it adapts itself easily to any changes that is brought upon it. Since the medication changes a small part of his hormone-production, his body must have habilitated itself to it. Immunity to the medicine means switching to something else again.

He just can’t wait until he doesn’t have to take them anymore. It would surely make his life a lot easier.

“Anything triggered it, or…?” Harry asks vaguely. Peter panics, trying to think back about what they were talking about…

“Uh, whales,” he says shortly. Ned frowns but Harry nods in understanding.

“Oh, I’m sorry for mentioning that, then,” he says, actually sounding apologetic. Peter just shakes his head and waves it off.

“It’s alright, man,” he says. It’s not true, of course. Whatever happened, Harry has something to do with it. And if Peter doesn’t want to alarm him, he needs to keep this in check and make sure Harry doesn’t find out. After all, he doesn’t remember anything about that night.

Peter stays quiet the rest of the day. They make an agreement on when the others should come to study for that test, but other than that he just walks along and stays quiet. When school’s over, Peter waves them goodbye before walking away. Happy isn’t picking him up today, he’s going to get himself home this time.

Being Spider-Man with the bag on his back isn’t particularly the best way to swing around. It’s a weight, and it messes up his swings or landings. But on the other hand he doesn’t want to risk leaving it around again, either. So the first thing he does is swinging to Stark Tower, where he climbs up the building and lands on the balcony of the penthouse.

“Holy-!” somebody shouts before stopping themselves. It’s Bruce, who apparently didn’t expect for him to arrive here. Peter takes off the mask and throws Bruce a grin.

“It’s just me,” he says with a wink. “Dad’s home?”

“Yes, Dr. Cho is with him in medical. Doing some tests. I’m looking at the blood results right now, it’s really incredible how much a little piece of Steve’s liver can almost completely change a person,” Bruce says, still sounding surprised while looking at the papers.

“How’s the scar?” Peter asks. He hasn’t seen it, Tony never shows it after all.

“Cho said that it’s almost completely healed, which is insane since it’s been only ten days. His liver is completely normal, it’s almost like his body has been put on a complete reset.”

Peter takes the paper and looks at it. Everything in Tony’s blood seems normal, indeed. It’s surprising how things can just change like that.

“Of course, he wouldn’t be Tony Stark if he wouldn’t want the serum out as quickly as possible,” Banner continues. He takes the papers back from Peter and then leans back against the glass fence.

“Why would he want that?” Peter asks. If anything, he would have expected Tony to be ecstatic about it.

“I understand that when you got your powers, everything had been amplified as well, right?” Banner counters. “Sound, smell, touch. You heard things you weren’t supposed to hear. You felt things before they would happen, right?”

“Yes?” Peter asks. “But I got used to it, eventually.”

“Indeed you have,” Bruce says. “You used it for something good. Now think about Tony, who lives for his work. He creates, uses that mind of his almost non-stop to make gadgets and other stuff. Now imagine that you suddenly _can’t_ do the thing that keeps you sane? That you try, but you keep on being interrupted because you can hear footsteps from other people so many rooms away?”

“He should learn to concentrate. If I can do it, he surely can, too?” Peter tries. “It would be a shame if Dad would remove the serum if it’s something that can keep him healthy.”

Bruce sighs before putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“In his childhood, for years, Tony Stark has been taught about the legendary Captain America. The man had become his idol when he was little, and he aspired to be like him. And do you know what his father told him when he hit puberty?”

Peter shakes his head.

“That Tony could never be like Steve. That Tony isn’t deserving of knowing him. That’s why, at first, the two couldn’t really stand each other. Tony just kept blaming _him_ for the way his father treated him.”

“But you would think he got over that, no? They’ve been in a relationship for a few months, after all?” Peter asks, confused. Bruce shakes his head and looks up into the sky.

“I don’t think we’ll ever completely understand your Dad, Peter. He might have convinced himself it’s okay to be _with_ Steve. But he has trouble accepting the fact that he now has a part of Steve’s _power_ inside of him. He just doesn’t think he deserves it. That’s why he wants it out.”

Peter nods in understanding. He just doesn’t know if it’s possible for Bruce to manage that, somehow. After all, hasn’t the guy been trying to get his portion out for years?

“On the other hand, he won’t have to worry about the serum forever. According to my tests, it’s only temporary. Eventually it will all fade away because of how small the amount is.”

“That’s good news for him,” Peter says. Bruce nods, though his face is still grim.

“Though it might take years.”

“Oh…”

Bruce sighs, pushing himself off the fence and starting his walk to the door. Then he turns towards Peter, nodding inside.

“You coming in?” he asks. Peter shakes his head.

“No, I was only dropping off my backpack. I’m going swinging for a little moment,” he says, pointing his thumb towards the city underneath them. Bruce nods, giving him a light smile. When he holds out his hand, Peter gives him the bag, quickly taking out his badge to make sure he’ll get inside.

“Be safe, okay?” he asks. Peter can’t believe how much he’s grown on the man in such a small amount of time.

“Always am,” Peter says with a wink. Then he puts the mask back on and throws himself over the balcony. There’s a lot of things for him to think about tonight.

 

* * *

 

 

This Saturday, Tony has to leave with Bruce, who has decided to be the neutral point in the whole debate. For a moment, Peter wonders if he could join. They’ll transport Steve along, after all, and he’ll get to see Nat and Wanda again. Sam, too! Even Rhodey is going to fly over for the occasion. Everybody is supposed to be there, so not only the Avengers. There are a few (enhanced) members of SHIELD, according to Tony, but also the Fantastic Four and a few of the X-Men. It’s going to be an enormous gathering, and it’ll probably take the two whole days to get to an agreement.

What Peter would do to be a part of it. Maybe if he promises not to go as Peter but as Spider-Man? Maybe then he can join? Only the Avengers know who he is after all.

He brings it up during dinner, a few hours after school ended. Peter is sitting in front of Vision, who is once again devouring his third portion of dinner. Bruce is calmer, taking small bites and making sure not to burn his tongue. Tony, though, is barely eating, instead just poking around on his tablet and making notes in a book.

“So, uh, is it alright if I come along this weekend?” he dares to ask, casually without building up to it. That way, they can already feel it coming and have a longer time to think of an excuse not to take him along.

Tony doesn’t even look up.

“Absolutely not,” he says. “You know I don’t want you to have anything to do with these accords.”

“But Dad, everybody’s going! Am I not a part of the enhanced population?”

“You’re a kid,” Tony returns, finally looking up. He looks horrible, Peter notes. Though his skin looks healthier, there are dark circles around his eyes, probably from the lack of sleep. “The whole point of keeping you out of the accords is so you can stay a kid, hidden from the eyes of the government.”

“I’m Seventeen years old, Dad! Besides, I’ll just go as Spider-Man! I won’t take off my mask, I promise!”

“No, Peter!” Tony shouts. Then his eyes go wide and he sags his shoulders again, hiding his eyes underneath his hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted.”

“Why can’t he come?” Bruce suddenly asks. Everybody turns to him, eyes fallen open from the surprise. “I don’t see the problem, at least that way he’ll get a say in what’s to be expected from these accords.”

“But he’s just a kid,” Tony repeats, though his voice sounds less sure.

“No, you’re worried because he’s _your_ kid. And that’s alright, it’s expected from a father to be worried. But then again, he’s surrounded by a whole room full of Superheroes. If anybody expects Peter to take off his mask, there’s a whole squad there to stop them.”

“Yeah, and the Avengers take care of me, don’t they?” Peter asks in an attempt to make it better. Tony blinks back at him, still seeming unsure about it.

A long silence comes then. While Vision is keeping on eating his plate empty, Tony pokes back into his food while staring ahead, thinking it over. For a moment, Peter’s just going to tell him to forget about it. It’s not that important, after all.

“Alright, you can come,” Tony finally says. Peter jumps up into the air, running towards Tony and wrapping his arms around him. As he hugs him tightly, Tony lets out a small chuckle. “Just promise me you’ll stay away from Johnny Storm, alright? I don’t need his bad influence to get on you!”

“I’ll try and stay away,” Peter returns. Then he kisses Tony on the cheek and runs into his room. He needs to let Ned know, immediately! But before he disappears, he turns back towards the table. “Oh, and by the way, Ned and Harry are coming over tomorrow evening, are you home then?”

Tony turns to look at Bruce, who shrugs. Then he gives Peter a nod.

“Good, then maybe you could help him with the test the way you helped me? They both failed, so I agreed to help them,” Peter suggests. Bruce snorts but then nods.

“Sure, kid. As long as they don’t make me angry,” he says with a wink. Peter throws him a thumb’s up and then hurries out into his bedroom.

 

* * *

 

 

After school, Ned gets a ride with Peter and Happy to get to Stark Tower. Normally, Harry would have joined as well, but he told them he needed to do something before he arrived. Neither Peter nor Ned ask any questions, since he probably just wants a little moment with MJ before he leaves.

Because that’s now actually a thing. Apparently, the date went well. Harry’s been in seventh heaven the entire school day, talking about how amazing it is to kiss her, or how soft her skin feels underneath his fingers. Peter and Ned just smirk at each other while rolling their eyes each time he brings it up.

It’s weird, yes, but on the other hand he’s also kind of happy. Happy Harry has found somebody, and happy that now MJ, too, seems to be less of a jerk around them. Sure, she still throws insults their way, but they’re less… mean, so to say.

The other good thing about it is that Harry and MJ don’t always _hang out_ with them all the time. It’s not that Peter’s glad to be rid of Harry, but it gives him at least a little bit of time to deal with his medication-issue. It wouldn’t do them any good if he’d get another panic attack when Harry makes a joke.

“Whoa, and where is it going to take place?” Ned asks. Peter shrugs.

“It won’t be Vienna, since they’re still under construction there because of the explosion. It’s happening in Geneva, but it’s more hush-hush now. The news doesn’t know about it,” Peter explains in a low voice. “You can’t tell anybody, okay?”

Ned holds up his hand. “Scout’s honor!” he says. Peter rolls his eyes.

“You’re not with the scouts,” he states. Ned shrugs.

“I used to be before I moved,” he says. Peter snorts, trying to imagine Ned in one of those costumes but not able to do it. “So who is going to be there? The X-Men? Fantastic Four? The Defenders?”

“Defenders? Who’s that?” Peter asks in confusion.

“Oh, it’s those guys that were knee-deep into the Hand-business. You know about the explosion in Midland Circle, right?” Ned asks. Peter remembers reading something about it, yes. “Well, it talks about six members; an indestructible man known as Luke Cage, a super strong woman whose name isn’t clear, a man who calls himself the ‘Immortal Iron Fist’ with every chance he’s got, a badass woman with her blades and a nurse with kick-ass fighting skills.”

“You said six, that’s only five,” Peter notes.

“Yeah, then there’s the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, but he’s been reported killed in action,” Ned admits. Peter feels a small, sad wave go through him. He never really got to meet the guy, but it’s still too bad to hear it. Dying to do what is right… Peter hopes that he never has to draw the short end of the stick during one of his battles.

“Anyway, I don’t think they’ll be there. They haven’t been active since Midland Circle, haven’t they?” Peter asks. Ned shakes his head. Happy then parks the car in the underground parking underneath the tower. Quickly, the two teenagers jump out. “Thanks Happy!”

“You’re welcome!” Happy returns. Peter smiles. Thinking back of how much Happy never really used to speak to him a few weeks back, it now seems like they’ve really grown on each other. It’s good, he’s glad.

The two take the quick elevator upstairs. Once they’re in the penthouse, Peter drops his bag on the ground and takes off his coat and gloves. Ned does the same, putting his stuff on one of the hangers. Then the two boys get into the couch and start up the TV.

There’s nothing much on, really. The news doesn’t have much to announce, and the weather forecast can only say that they can expect snow tomorrow. After coming to a full loop of changing the channels, they just turn off the TV and take out their cellphones.

“Harry can start arriving now, he’s twenty minutes late almost!” Ned complains. Peter just hums in agreement, going through his mobile for a bit. Even there there’s nothing new to say.

“Is this what passes for studying lately?” Tony suddenly asks jokingly as he walks in the living room holding an empty cup of coffee and his tablet. He’s smirking, though he still looks extremely tired.

“We’re just waiting for Harry,” Peter says. Tony hums, still pensive about letting Harry hang out with Peter this much. They’ve had a conversation about it to make sure Peter’s feeling okay with it, but despite that Tony never really seems completely comfortable with letting them hang out. It’s probably going to take a while.

As if he couldn’t have timed it better, Harry makes his presence known by knocking on the door. Tony puts down the tablet and cup, and then turns around.

“Stay put, I’ll open it up,” he says. Peter nods, continuing his scrolling through his cellphone. Ned, too, doesn’t seem to pay too much attention. “Yeah, they’re on the couch. Just get in. Peter, your friends are here.”

“Friends?” Peter wonders out loud. He drops his phone at last to look behind him.

Only to see Harry standing there with a wide-eyed MJ.

“MJ needed some help with the test as well, I thought I’d bring her along,” Harry says happily. He only gets a few silent stares in return before Tony interrupts again.

“Awkward,” he jokes. Then he gets back to his tablet to just pretend he’s not here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Small panic attacks due to medication habituation (Peter knows what to do and takes care of it)  
> \- Harry gets himself a girlfriend  
> \- Tony keeps on pretending that he's fine 
> 
> I felt like it was necessary to show that, despite the fact that Harry's cured and so, it's not possible that Peter won't have any sort of reaction to it. With that, I suppose it would have been realistic if he would look up in Harry's eyes and suddenly see the Goblin in front of him. Besides, with the way Peter's body works, I'm sure he's not able to stay on the same medication for long. Eventually, his body will get used to the meds and work around it. He has to change quite regularly. He knows this, and he's aware of how to act in this situation.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, I'm only getting sicker. I was about ready to head to bed until I realized I hadn't posted this one yet. So, here we go!   
> Also, a few people seemed excited about a Johnny-Peter friendship. And while that wasn't really my intention (mostly because I wasn't really aware of their friendship in the comics), I've decided to change the parts with Johnny I had written out. While at first he was around 10 years older than Peter, now he's eighteen years old, and only got his powers because he sneaked into the space craft when Sue, Reed & Ben were on their mission (because, honestly, who would take a 16-year-old up to space??). The original story-line (being the one where they'll surprise everyone by revealing he's in a serious relationship with Sharon -- see, because Chris Evans ;-) ;-) ) is with this not relevant anymore ^^ The future chapters have been changed, and timestamps will give us friendship goals! 
> 
> Chapter warnings in the end notes

“Are you crazy?! Just inviting your girlfriend without asking me if it’s alright?” Peter hisses the moment he’s taken Harry alone. They’re in Peter’s bedroom, away from the others. Peter’s not thinking about Tony being there unsupervised with Ned and MJ. If he does something stupid, Peter’s not taking responsibility for it.

“What’s the problem? She needed help with the test, she was even a little sad that you didn’t invite her, though of course she would never admit that,” Harry counters. Of course, he doesn’t see the problem, he’s completely head over heels for this girl!

“The problem is that MJ, as well as _nobody else_ don’t know about my Dad! It’s supposed to stay this way! What am I going to tell her now, huh? That he’s still my mentor? After I told everybody I quit the internship?”

“I don’t see the big deal, Peter. You have a famous father, so what? It’s not like it’s completely life-changing,” Harry says, rolling his eyes. Peter feels close to growling.

“Except for the fact that suddenly everybody’ll know I’m crazy rich? Or maybe we’re also forgetting that the man is _Iron Man_ , and that bad guys might try to hurt me to get to him?”

Not that Peter would allow anybody to hurt him again. Peter’s been trained now, and hopefully he’ll be even more trained after the Accords will be changed and Natasha will be able to come back.

“You know, I’ve been kidnapped once or twice. It’s not that big of a deal, Peter,” Harry continues. Peter feels just close to punching him in the face. “But alright, I guess I see your point. But we can’t change it now, she’s already inside.”

Peter rubs his brow and sits down on his bed, groaning in frustration.

“I know, and I can’t come up with any excuse as to what I could possibly be doing here,” he admits. Harry takes a few steps forward and then puts a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight, I was just glad that I got to see MJ and suddenly I invited her along. I take responsibility for this one.” Peter looks up at his friend, actually surprised at the sudden response he’s getting. He’s never really known Harry as somebody who would apologize this way. He wasn’t raised like that by his father, after all.

‘It’s okay, we can’t change it now,” Peter mutters. He sighs once more and pushes himself off the bed to look outside the window and into the city. They’re high up, and from here everything looks peaceful enough. “We should just… go do what we came here to do.”

“I’ll explain it to MJ, you’ll get Dr. Banner?” Harry asks. Peter nods, leaving his room again to get to the workshop. Bruce is there almost all the time when he isn’t in his guest room in the apartment downstairs. He’s got a whole floor to himself, according to Tony the same one he had when the Avengers used to live here, still.

Bruce, who has been keeping himself busy with staring at Tony’s test-results and files almost ever since he’s arrived here. Peter hasn’t seen him look at anything else, so far. He clears his throat to announce his presence. Banner turns around, mouth fallen open.

“Oh, Peter, did you need something?” he asks.

Peter shifts a bit, then nodding. “I, uh, the others are here? About the test?”

Bruce closes his screens again and nervously plucks his glasses off his nose. “Right, I’ll be there in a minute,” he then says. Peter nods and leaves the room again. When he’s back to his living room, Harry’s still making his explanation to MJ, who still looks a little bit surprised. Tony, at the kitchenette, looks at it all in fascination.

“Dad, don’t you have anything better to do?” Peter asks in annoyance. Tony jumps up before snorting in his coffee. Then he drops his cup and holds up his hands.

“What, Brucie gets to stay but I don’t? Am I that embarrassing to you, Petey?” he asks, in mock surprise. He then slumps his way to where Peter is standing before throwing his arms around him and pretending to sob against his shoulder.

“Dad!” Peter complains again. He tries to push the man away from him, but holds himself back when he thinks back of the wound on Tony’s chest. Does it still hurt? He doesn’t know, since Tony never talks about it.

“Ned, am I really that horrible?” Tony then asks, pulling away from Peter and turning to his best friend on the couch. Ned’s eyes open wide, and his mouth drops open as he thinks back of an answer.

“I, uh, you, uh, we-“

“Never mind! I know when I’m not wanted!” Tony eventually calls out, throwing his hand over his forehead. Peter rolls his eyes but still manages to smirk. The fact he’s joking around like this means that he must be doing better, right?

That, or he’s pretending again. Nobody knows with him.

“Call me if you need anything, I’ll be at the workshop!” After that, Tony leaves the room right when Bruce appears again. When the scientist takes Tony by the arm and murmurs something to him, Peter wonders what it’s about. He sees Tony shake his head, and Bruce then sigh before shaking his head as well. Something more is said, but after that Tony leaves.

“Alright, who needed my help?” Bruce asks, clapping his hands together. Three of the four teenagers raise their hands in embarrassment. Peter watches Bruce smile before he motions for them to follow him to the elevator. Peter already knows he’s taking them to his lab downstairs. “You joining us, Peter?”

Peter nods, but holds up his hand.

“Give me a minute, alright?” he asks. Bruce lifts up his thumb. Ned, Harry and MJ carefully join Bruce into the elevator. When Bruce makes a joke about not getting him angry right before the door closes, Ned’s face turns awfully pale. Peter ends up laughing the moment he sees it.

With his hands stuck in his hoodie, Peter turns to his left. His eyes are stuck to the floor, but he knows the way. Opening the door to the workshop, he passes Dum-E who pokes him in the side. He chuckles a bit, letting out his hand from his pocket to pet him on the ‘head’. Then he nods towards Tony, who hasn’t noticed his arrival, too busy with whatever he’s working on this time.

There are screens in front of him, footage of something Peter can’t really place. He doesn’t pay attention to it anyway. If Tony wants him to know about it, he’ll tell him.

“Dad?” he asks. Tony startles and whips his head around in a sudden surprise. At least he doesn’t hide his stuff away the moment he notices he’s not alone. He offers Peter a faint smile.

“Hey there. Everything okay?” he asks. Peter nods, nearing his dad’s desk and leaning against it as he holds his finger up to scroll through whatever Tony’s working on. It’s something about a crashed spaceship in Norway. Peter read about it, but SHIELD assured they were on it so he left it alone.

“I’m fine. I just wanted to know if you are, Dad?” he tries. Tony’s eyes widen, mouth falls open. It’s as if Peter’s question comes out as the biggest shock in his life.

“Uh, I’m alright?” Tony asks, but Peter isn’t convinced.

“You keep on telling me that I need to talk if there’s something bothering me, whether it’s the panic attacks, or whatever else that has to do with the depression,” Peter starts. He takes a deep breath and closes the screens. “I want you to know that I can listen, too, if you want.”

“What makes you think I’m not doing okay?” Tony shifts uncomfortably.

“Dad, please, you don’t have to pretend with me,” Peter assures him. “I know what it’s like, this disease in our heads. In the end, we are our own worst enemy.”

Tony lets out a long breath before sitting down in his chair. The smile he gives Peter is faint. He hunches forward, clapping his hands together and observing his fingers carefully.

“Sometimes I tend to forget that you know more about this than you should,” Tony admits. “But isn’t it supposed to be me who needs to be looking out for you?”

Peter snorts, jumping up on the desk and grabbing Tony’s pen to toy with it.

“When have we ever done something the traditional way?” he jokes. Tony, too, chuckles at that. It’s good to see the laughing lines appear on his tired-looking face again. “I’m serious, Dad. All this crap with Steve, major surgery, the accords… I can understand if you need a little break after a while.”

“How about we take a holiday, huh? During Christmas break? After New Year?” Tony asks. Peter shakes his head.

“Don’t change the subject, Dad. We can plan that later.”

Tony rubs his brow before shaking his head. His goatee has now turned into an almost full beard. His hair is longer, too. Peter wonders when was the last time Tony took a good, long shower. Not just a quick one to avoid looking at himself for too long.

“Bruce told me something… about the serum. You don’t want it anymore, don’t you?”

Tony shakes his head without looking up.

“Bruce shouldn’t tell my kid about my personal issues,” he mutters. Peter punches him in the shoulder.

“At least he tells me what’s wrong with you. You never talk about yourself!” Peter drops the pen and grabs both his Dad’s hands into his own, making him look up. “You were there when I was down. Now let me do the same, please?”

Tony blinks a few times. Then he pulls one hand loose and pulls Peter closer to him into a strong hug. It lasts for a few seconds, the man unwilling to let his son go. It feels good, to be held like this. Peter, for a moment, doesn’t want it to stop.

But it does. Tony pulls back, trying to hide the way his eyes are now red, wiping away a tear that has dared to roll away. He chuckles, but it’s hollow, just a trick. To pretend he’s fine.

“Things are crap, but you know that I guess,” he finally says. And then he starts talking. About his youth, his father talking about Captain America as a way to get Tony to do the right thing. How his Dad, after a while, decided that Tony wasn’t worthy of being compared to Steve. How Tony hated Steve from that point on, until they _did_ become friends after the attack on New York.

He talks about his hesitation and the endless talks he’s had with Bruce about the fact that he never felt like he was worthy for being Steve’s friend, how Bruce helped him through it. How he was relieved that he didn’t feel that worry when they started their relationship.

Peter listens as he explains, at last, what happened in Siberia. The betrayal he felt when he realized Steve hadn’t told him about his parents. The hatred he felt for the Soldier that killed his parents; Peter’s grandparents.

But at the same time, the disgust he’s feeling for himself right now, at the idea that he reacted that way.

He goes on and on, talking about how much he wants nothing more than to be with Steve again, but how he feels like he doesn’t deserve it, anymore. The tears don’t roll out of his eyes over his cheeks, but it’s a close call. Tony, after he finishes, takes his cup of coffee and lifts it up to his mouth.

Peter pulls him up, taking the cup and putting it back on the table. Then he grabs Tony’s jacket from his chair, and pulls him along on his way out of the workshop.

“Peter, what are you doing?” Tony asks in confusion.

“We’re going to see Steve,” he says with a smirk. “We’ll talk it all out, and after this weekend he’ll come and live with us again.”

Tony lets out a small sound, but is unable to form any words. When Peter’s standing in front of the elevator, he looks up to the ceiling.

“FRI, can you tell the others I’ll be a little longer because I need to help my Dad?” he asks. Tony stutters out another protest, but doesn’t actively try to stop him.

“ _Of course, Peter. What shall I tell them?”_

“Just say I’m a relationship-therapist now. Bruce will probably understand,” Peter jokes. The elevator opens up, and Peter pushes Tony inside. “C’mon. The sooner we’re there, the better!”

“Peter, I don’t really- what about your friends? Didn’t you all need help with-?”

“They needed help. I passed my test, after all,” Peter interrupts him. “Now, stop struggling and let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

Tony gives Peter a long look, still dumbfounded. But after a while, he smiles. He takes the few steps that separates him and his son, and puts his hand behind Peter’s head to give him a kiss in his hair.

“I don’t know how I could deserve a son like you,” Tony admits. Peter snorts.

“Think about that next time I do something stupid, alright?” he tries, thinking back of the override-codes and the whole Vulture-business. Tony smiles again, wrapping an arm around Peter’s shoulder and keeping him close.

“I love you, Peter. You do know that, right?” he asks. Peter puts his head on Tony’s shoulder and closes his eyes.

“I know. I love you, too, Dad.”

 

* * *

 

 

It takes exactly one second for Peter to realize that this place is close to nowhere he wants to be right now. The first person he comes across is none other than one of the men he helped lock up on the ferry. The one that was going to buy one of Mr. Toomes’ guns. He’s being escorted somewhere with two cops behind him.

The guy doesn’t recognize him. Peter still shudders when he sees him.

The next person he sees is Mr. Toomes himself, sporting a bruised cheek and black eye. The moment he sees Peter, he grins widely.

“Mr. Parker! What a coincidence to be seeing you here,” he says. The guard behind him pokes him in the head with his stick and tells him to keep walking. Toomes spits out some blood. It falls right in front of Peter’s feet. Tony, of course, doesn’t like that.

“Excuse me, but talk to my son _ever_ again, and you’re going to wish he’d killed you on that pier,” Tony warns him. Toomes face turns into one of surprise, and then he’s smiling again.

“Your son, huh? Now that is a surprise,” Toomes mutters. Then the guard pushes him forward once again. Whatever else he wanted to say, he doesn’t get the chance. Tony pulls Peter along with him to the next post. There, they’re checked for weapons or devices once again. Peter holds up his hands to make it easier for them. When one of the guards touch Tony’s scar, he jumps back.

“Easy on the merchandise,” he jokes out. “War wounds.” He raises his shirt to clarify that he’s not shying away from the check. Then the two are allowed in. Tony knows his way, so he motions for Peter to follow him.

“Who you’re here for?” one of the guards asks. It’s a woman, looking like angry is the permanent setting she’s installed for her face. Peter keeps his mouth shut, wisely.

“Rogers,” Tony says. The woman gives the two a long, inspecting look, but then opens up the door and walks inside.

“Rogers! Visitor!” she calls out. Through the window, Peter can see one figure look up. Where he would have expected orange uniforms like on TV, he’s dressed in all white. His beard has grown since last time Peter saw him, and his hair, despite an attempt to make it look neat, looks like it’s everywhere.

This look, Steve as a prisoner… Peter doesn’t like it at all. He swallows through a big lump in his throat, and follows his dad through another door. At the same time, Steve walks in as well, closing the door behind him. 

He stops in his tracks when he sees Peter standing there next to Tony. Before either of them can speak, Tony breaks the silence.

“There’s been a uniform switch? Where’s the orange?” Tony asks. Steve blinks a few times before clearing his throat.

“Uhm, they’ve, uh… it’s been switched a few days ago. Some psychologist said it was too violent,” he says. Tony hums and walks forward to pull out the chair at the table. Then he looks back at Peter and nods towards Steve.

“C’mon, don’t hold back for me,” Tony tells him. Peter clears his throat again and then nods. At the same time, the two move forward. When Peter’s once again wrapped safely in Steve’s strong arms, he lets out a content sigh.

“It’s been a while,” he mutters out. Steve snorts.

“Too long,” he agrees. Then he pulls away and takes Peter’s face into his two hands. “You look great, Peter.”

“I feel great,” he says, deciding not to mention the panic attacks he’s been getting around Harry. They’re not important, and easy to fix when he goes to see the psychiatrist again in a few days. “Though I could do better once you’re all back.”

“Can’t disagree with that,” Steve agrees. With an arm thrown over Peter’s shoulder, the two sit down on the other side of the table, facing Tony, who is looking at the two of them without speaking. “Hi, Tony.”

“Steve,” Tony nods, responding curtly again. Peter rolls his eyes and Steve sighs.

“It’s a long way from ‘honey’, but at least it’s not ‘Rogers’ anymore. Can’t complain about that,” he shrugs. Tony passes his hand over his forehead. Peter shakes his head and hums to get their attention.

“Listen, I know things have been shit-“

“Peter…” Steve interrupts disapprovingly.

“… but that’s why we’re here now. Dad, you need to tell Steve what you told me earlier.”

Tony shakes his head.

“I can’t do that, Peter. Not twice in one day,” he disagrees. Peter nods in understanding.

“I know, Dad. But you need to start somewhere.” Peter then turns to Steve. “You, too. Just… talk. That’s always been your issue. You two never really talk. Every time you’ve argued in the past, you just fix it with actions but never words.”

Steve frowns. “Peter, where does this all come from?” he asks.

“Please, Steve. I know you love each other. And I know it’s been hard on you to realize that this world doesn’t _care_ about who you love, anymore.”

Tony lets out a loud breath and pushes his seat back for a bit. He pinches his eyebrows and keeps his gaze down. Steve, too, turns his head to the side to avoid looking at Tony. Peter realizes even faster that this isn’t going to be easy.

“Steve, do you love Dad?” Peter tries. Steve shifts, giving Peter a surprised look. _How could you even ask that_ , it says. Peter doesn’t react to it, just waiting for an answer.

“Of course, I do,” Steve finally says. Tony drops his hand, but keeps his gaze down. His fingers nervously rub on the scar on his chest. Peter reaches his hand out for him, but too far for him to touch.

“Dad?”

Tony finally looks up. His eyes are red again. It breaks Peter’s heart.

“You love Steve, don’t you?” he asks. Tony’s eyes then move up to Steve, who is trying to make himself look small next to Peter. Without daring to look up, he starts fumbling with his fingers. Peter reaches out to stop him.

“Yes,” Tony finally admits after a silence of a minute long. The first tear finally rolls over his cheek and he wipes it away as fast as he can. Then he crosses his arms and leans back in his seat, pretending once again that he’s not crying.

“Yes, what?” Peter urges on. Tony closes his eyes and sighs.

“I love you, okay? You heard it all when I was going nuts in the hospital. You know what I feel about you.”

Steve shifts again. “Yet you still broke up with me?”

Good, they’re talking. Peter keeps his mouth shut now. They need to figure this out themselves.

“You know exactly why I did that, Steve.”

“I’m sorry but no, I don’t,” Steve returns. Tony throws his hands in the air. “Tony, seriously. One moment you sleep with me and the other you dump my ass. That’s not okay!”

Peter squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head while he shivers. “C’mon, gross!” he shouts in between. Steve and Tony ignore him.

“I told you exactly what was bothering me, and you know it!” Tony shouts back, pointing his finger towards Steve and standing up. Steve, too, gets back on his feet. Peter looks up in alarm.

“What, then? That fear that you’re an abuser? Newsflash, Tony! You aren’t!”

“In what universe am I not?!”

“In ours! Because I beat you up just as much as you did me! And yeah, it sucks, but we’re not just ordinary people, aren’t we?!”

Peter stands up and holds out his hands to both of them. He would have come between them if there hadn’t been a table in the way. “C’mon dads, you don’t have to shout like this.”

Both Steve and Tony take a step back. Neither mentions Peter using the words ‘dads’ to address them.

“Dad, you’re not an abuser. We’ve talked about this already, okay?” Tony shakes his head and turns around again. With his back facing the two of them. “Dad, please?”

Tony raises his head, as if he’s looking at the ceiling. Then he nods and shifts back towards the other two. He dries his cheeks and lets out a long breath. After that, he returns to his chair and takes his place down again.

Steve doesn’t sit down. Instead he walks up to Tony, takes the engineer’s hand and kneels down. Even just for a moment, Peter startles. Is he-? Don’t say he’s going to propose?!

“Holy shit, Steve?” Tony agrees to Peter’s point.

“I’m not proposing,” Steve quickly clarifies. “But I am making a statement. Because I love you. And I plan on loving you for a long, _long_ time. So I want you to understand that, whatever happened in Siberia, I’m not holding it against you. I never have. If anything, you’re supposed to be angry at me for not telling you sooner about your parents.”

“Steve…” Tony starts. Steve stops him.

“After I’m out of here, I promise you, Tony, I promise the world can know about us. I’ll announce it on live tv for all that matters. I’m not ashamed, Tony, I never was. I was just… wrong. So wrong.”

“You don’t have to do that, Steve,” Tony finally says. He takes his free hand and puts it on Steve’s cheek, finally giving him a small smile. Peter hides away his excitement, keeping himself from throwing his hands in the air in a victorious gesture. “We’ll figure it out after this weekend, okay?”

Steve nods. The man starts leaning forward to get a kiss from Tony. Peter is about to look away when he suddenly sees his Dad lift up his hand to put it against Steve’s mouth.

“Not yet,” he says with a smirk. Right after that, the door opens and a guard walks in. Where Peter would have expected for Steve to pull away and pretend nothing happened, the Super Soldier remains where he was.

“Mr. Stark?” the man asks. Tony pulls his hand from Steve’s mouth and nods before standing up. If the guard is surprised about what he saw, he’s not showing it. “The chief wants to see you. It’s about the transfer of Mr. Rogers tomorrow?”

“Right, yes,” he says. “I’m coming with you.”

Then he pulls Steve back up again and kisses his cheek gently. After that, he turns to Peter.

“You’re staying here?” he asks. Peter nods with a smile. Tony holds up his thumb, and then gets himself to the door. After he’s out, the guard gives Steve a confused look before closing the door behind them. Steve lets out a long breath.

“Thank you, Peter,” Steve says. “You’re too smart for a kid your age.”

“Next time you two have a disagreement, just call me, okay?” he jokes. Steve wraps his arm around and pulls him close.

“We might just do that, son,” he agrees. “You have no idea how proud I am of you.”

Peter smiles and closes his eyes. Slowly but surely, he feels like his family is going to get back together at last. With a wide smile, he lets out a loud sigh.

But then he opens his eyes widely, thinking back of a small fact.

“I left my friends with Bruce!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings  
> \- emotional talk  
> \- nothing more really


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit of a slow, calm chapter. Mostly putting a close to the accords. There's no chapter warnings in this one ^^  
> Merry Christmas to you all, I'll be spending it chowing down my antibiotics and painkillers, seeing as I went to the doctor's today :')   
> Also, I'm putting up the first timestamp today! Go check it out if you're interested! It'll be a point of view of Steve to Tony going to the hospital! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! If you notice any mistakes, feel free to point it out!   
> Also, yes, I still based Johnny Storm on the Chris Evans version, but just imagine him 18 yrs old instead! A teenager with Chris' face. Teenage Chris. Whatever, you get the point! My Christmas present to you; the first introduction that will, in the timestamps, lead to a long, long friendship (I hope I won't screw that one up!)

Peter figures this is the way it _should_ have been the first time around.

Sitting on a fancy chair in a large room somewhere in Geneva, surrounded by about sixty other people and mutants, Peter realizes that the world is a big place. Seeing heroes that he’s never seen before, he’s close to just asking all of their names and getting to know them all. But as it stands, he holds himself in check.

His assigned seat is between Tony and Susan Storm. They’re on the front row, but Tony’s not next to him, instead still in the front of the room talking to the King of Wakanda and Natasha. Peter stays in his seat, wanting nothing more but to take off the mask and be here as Peter Parker instead. But a promise is a promise.

“Are you alright, dear?” Susan asks next to him as Peter shifts in his seat nervously again. Peter turns his head, looking right into the woman’s blue eyes. She’s put up her blonde hair into a high ponytail. She’s dressed in normal clothing, so Peter can easily catch the wedding ring on her left hand.

“Yes, I’m fine, m’am,” Peter responds nervously. “I’ve just… last time they tried to bring up the accords, things didn’t exactly go according to plan.”

Susan laughs and nods in understanding. Then she takes Reed’s hand, who is distracted with his phone, and pulls up his fingers to her lips.

“Yes, they should have brought everybody together instead of going door by door,” she agrees. “Reed immediately signed, and so did Ben. Johnny and I didn’t.”

“Really?” Peter asks. He tries to lean forward and catch Johnny sitting next to Reed, but the guy’s not in his seat.

“No, he thought they were shit,” she laughs. “There was a long argument about it, but we’ve been out of action since then. I’m glad we’re here now.”

Peter turns to look back at his Dad, seeing him laugh with the King and Natasha. He looks happy, for a change. It’s really good to see him like this.

Another look around, and he sees a lot of the other heroes here as well. The X-Men, with Professor X, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Storm and Cyclops. Then there’s Rhodey who is talking with Sam and Clint. There’s the guy who shrinks – Peter thinks his name was Scott – talking to a woman with brown hair braided together. He doesn’t know who she is.

There are others that he’s never seen before, but then again there are people here from all over the world. Even freaking Deadpool is wandering around here, though so far he hasn’t come to drool all over Peter, so that’s a plus.

The door opens, more people walk inside. Peter bites his lip at the thought that Steve still isn’t there. They’ve all travelled together, though Steve has been transported separately from them ever since they’ve landed in Switzerland.

Peter tilts his head to the side a little bit when Storm walks up to the front and shakes the king’s hand. After that, they kiss each other on the cheek as a greeting. Tony turns back to Natasha and says something to her. After that, he heads back towards where Peter is sitting.

“You doin’ alright, kid?” he asks. He’s got a better grasp at keeping their relation quiet with others around. Peter still has a lot to learn if he ever wants to be as good as him.

“Yeah, I’m fine Mr. Stark,” Peter says. He smiles, but it’s not visible through the mask. Tony then goes to shake Susan’s and Reed’s hand.

“Now where’s that brother of yours, Sue?” Tony asks. Susan shrugs.

“I wouldn’t know, Tony. He’s always where he shouldn’t be,” she sighs while rolling her eyes. Tony laughs. Peter leans forward again, finally catching a glimpse of Johnny Storm standing there with Aunt Sharon and a few other people from SHIELD.

“He’s there!” Peter says, pointing his way. Tony and Sue both follow his finger.

“Ah, he better not be wooing my little cousin there,” he jokes. Susan chuckles. Reed finally looks up from his phone and blinks as if he hadn’t realized Tony’s standing there.

“What did I miss?” he asks. Tony shakes his head.

“Nothing important, Elastic Girl,” he says. Reed frowns and gives Tony a glare.

“What does that make me?” Ben asks from a little further away. Tony startles upon hearing his voice roar out. Facing the fourth member of the Fantastic Four, he bows forward a bit.

“That makes you Rocky, the Horror Show,” he says with a wink. Ben slams his hand on the table and lets out a thunderous laugh. Everybody jumps out of their seat in surprise. Even king T’Challa and Storm turn around to see what’s going on.

After that, Tony walks around the table to get to his seat next to Peter. There’s one more empty seat next to Tony, reserved for Bruce. Just when Peter is about to ask where he is, Bruce comes up from behind him.

“Sorry, I walked in on Strange. We still needed to have a talk about me destroying his house,” he pardons himself. Tony just nods and squeezes Bruce’s shoulder. He gives the scientist a sympathetic look when Natasha walks to the door.

“She’s going to get our special guests,” Tony explains. Bruce nods, keeping his eyes away from Natasha. Peter shifts in his seat, fumbling with the pen on the table. There’s a digital copy of the accords on a tablet in front of him. It’s all one mutual document; if anybody makes a note, everybody can read it and comment on it.

Then the King claps his hands together to get everybody’s attention. A few members of the UN whisper something in his ear as they stand next to him. The King nods and turns to everybody.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you may please be seated, we’ll begin shortly,” he says. Despite the accent, his English is really good, Peter notes. He’s never really heart T’Challa speak, not even in Germany. The idea that he’s fought alongside a King is really mind blowing.

If he’d had his cellphone, he surely would have been texting Ned with all the updates. But cellphones aren’t allowed. Even Tony had to hand in his tech.

The door eventually opens again. Steve, still in his prison uniform, walks in at last. His hands are still tied together behind his back, and they haven’t shaven off the beard or the hair for the occasion. He takes a few seconds to observe his surroundings, but then finally moves forward when one of the security guards assigned to follow him from New York pokes him in the back.

The heroes around Peter start murmuring about it. Peter hates every second Steve is spending bound like this. He hopes they’ll get him free at the end of tomorrow.

Steve gets a seat at another table, his chair next to Sam’s. The guard releases his right hand, but binds his left one to the chair. Sam looks at it disapprovingly, but nobody comments on it. Rhodey takes careful steps until he’s seated behind Tony. Next to him, Sharon starts making her way. Peter wonders why she’s here, since she’s not exactly enhanced? But, on the other hand, she’s also part of a secret organization that works with superheroes. She might as well be here.

After the commotion around Steve has died down, the door opens up again. This time, Peter recognizes the Winter Soldier, who pretty much looks like crap. His hair is pulled together messily, his arm grabbed by Wanda, who talks to him in a hushed voice. The man tries to ignore the fact that everybody’s looking at him. Peter feels sorry for him. When he feels Tony tense up next to him, he puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Tony quickly clears his throat.

“Yeah, right,” he mutters out. After that, Barnes and Wanda go to their own spots. When Wanda sees Peter, she gives him a smile and a wave. Peter waves back, glad to see her again after such a long time. They’ll get the chance to catch up later, he figures.

So far, Natasha hasn’t returned. She must be the last person they’re expecting, but Peter doesn’t really know the guests from the tables in the back. When he tries to look up, he’s once again surprised at the amount of people that is present.

At last, the door opens one last time. Natasha walks in, but she’s looking behind her, talking to somebody. Peter leans forward, trying to catch a glimpse of who it is. The person in question seems to hesitate, though, lingering in the doorway.

“Who’s that?” Peter asks his Dad in a whisper. He’s surprised to see Tony smile at him.

“That’s a surprise for you, son,” he says back. Peter frowns, focusing back on the two at the door. At last, Natasha gets in, and she’s quickly followed by the figure behind her.

Who turns out to be none other than Yael. Peter’s mouth falls open; he hasn’t seen this girl ever since the crap with the accords first started! She’d been on a trip somewhere, and practically disappeared from the world! When did she even return?!

Peter doesn’t think. He jumps out of his chair in a smooth motion. Natasha only startles a little bit when there’s suddenly someone next to her. Once she sees who it is, she smiles and moves aside.

“I trust you’ll get her to her seat?” she asks. Peter nods, waiting for her to leave before turning to his friend who is standing there.

She looks horrible, in a way. Not in any obvious manner; her hair is dark again, though her strands are now a washed-out blue. There’s a scar somewhere on her forehead, and her cheeks are maybe a bit hollowed out. She seems to twist nervously, almost continuously looking around as if she’s expecting danger.

“Peter?” she asks, a little hesitant. Her voice sounds even hoarser than before. Peter doesn’t answer. Instead, he pulls her into her arms, giving her a strong hug. In the corner of his eye, he can only catch a small glimpse of red before suddenly there’s a whole other pair of arms wrapped around them.

“Damn it, Wade,” Peter groans out when he can’t get any breath.

“My friends! My lovely friends! Back together! I’m the happiest Pool in the world!” he shouts out. Peter rolls his eyes, but figures this is not so bad. So he takes in the hug and closes his eyes. Things are about to get much better after this all.

 

* * *

 

 

It lasts for too long. Even with the small toilet breaks X requested (probably after having read too many thoughts), Peter feels like he’s about ready to climb up the walls. Literally, with the next break he’s running towards the side of the room and climbs up until he’s hanging over the ceiling.

All he gets is an amused glance from Tony, who crosses his arms and shakes his head despite the smirk on his face. Probably his way of saying ‘told you so’.

A few people go to talk with Steve, ask him about the latest update on his life. Bruce even carefully approaches Natasha and the two get to a gentle conversation Peter doesn’t stick around to listen to. He checks on Yael, on Wade, and even goes to talk with Wanda.

But after a while, they must continue, and Peter is put back in his seat after Karen urging him on to listen to the big guy who’s speaking. Peter heard him say his name in the beginning, but he has absolutely no clue what it was.

Around seven in the evening – which means they’ve been here for eleven freaking hours – they announce that they’re finished for today. While Peter thinks they’ve made no progress at all, Sue and Reed seem to agree that things go much better than they would have expected. Sure, there’s some arguing. Mostly Sam and Rhodey getting up their arguments and disagreeing all the time, followed by Johnny Storm – who reminds Peter a little bit of Steve, but more with his Dad’s character traits, if that’s possible? – and then Ben. Wade adds a few comments, but nobody is really sure why he’s even here.

By the time the bosses are out of the large room, the people, too, start standing up to get out. An evening in Switzerland sounds about good, especially during dinner time. Peter wonders if he can convince Tony to take him to a chocolate bar, but knowing all the others they’ll just get a frown in return.

Sharon kisses Tony goodbye, tells him she sees him tomorrow. Tony repeats her words. Then there’s Sue and Reed who say goodbye, followed by Ben and, reluctantly, Johnny. Peter nods towards Professor X when they pass each other. X just winks at him. He takes Yael with him before Peter can even ask if she wants to join them.

A guard takes Steve along. He’s hesitant when he receives a murderous glare from the Winter Soldier, but he does his job anyway. Steve gives Peter a faint smile when they pass each other. Then he’s gone, too. Wanda and Sam take the Soldier with them, followed by T’Challa. Natasha and Bruce then leave, too.

In the end, Tony does take Peter along to grab something to eat. It’s not a chocolate bar, but it’s still a good restaurant. Dressed again as himself with the suit safely tucked in the hotel room, Peter finds himself at the table with Rhodey, Vision and Bruce. They’re all talking to each other about the accords, discussing what they think is good and what they figure isn’t really a good idea. Vision is adding his comments in between eating his portions.

Everything is going remarkably well. Even after Tony pays for the dinner and they leave the restaurant to get back into the snowy landscape to head back to the hotel, the five of them can’t seem to stop their conversation.

The staff at the hotel don’t seem to understand what’s going on. With the sudden addition of probably all the known superheroes in the world, some of the members try and get pictures with their idols while the others try their best at cleaning the more troublesome’s messes.

As it turns out, Wade and Johnny Storm aren’t the best combination. In an attempt to prove who is the biggest lightweight, the two end up drunk off their asses and causing destruction almost everywhere they go. Jean Grey is sitting at the bar a little further away, using her telekinetic powers to clean up their messes. Sue tries desperately to pull her brother away from his drinking partner.

Sharon is somewhere at the side, drinking and talking with Natasha. Peter still finds it weird to see her as a blonde, but he figures he can get used to it. He prefers the red hair, though.

Vision hurries up to Wanda the moment he sees her. Everybody makes an ‘ooh-‘sound the moment the android pulls her into his arms and kisses her on the lips. A few of the audience even start clapping and shouting enthusiastically. Behind Peter, Tony, too, starts clapping his hands.

Everybody seems happy. There’s smiles and laughs. But Peter knows it’s not completely true. Not yet, at least. So Peter hurries to the bar, orders two non-alcoholic drinks, and brings them to Tony, who looks at him with a confused look.

“Go to him. I know you want to,” he says with a wink. Tony snorts, shaking his head and then leaning forward to kiss Peter on the brow.

“You are the best son in the world,” he says. Then he takes the drinks, and he leaves the common room to get to the elevator. Peter smiles as he watches his father leave. After that, he heads towards Natasha and Sharon and takes a place with them.

“Peter! I didn’t know you were here, too?” Sharon asks in surprise. Natasha winks at him and then throws her arm over his shoulder. “What are you doing the entire day?”

Peter shrugs. “Ah, you know, some sightseeing. It’s never dull here in Switzerland,” he says. The two women start laughing again. After that, he listens to their stories about their missions in the past. He feels good, his Dad is about to be better, too.

He can’t complain.  

 

* * *

 

 

Tony isn’t too surprised when he sees two guards standing in front of Steve’s door. He’s not too worried about them letting him in; they know he’s been visiting in prison, as well as he’s been the one in charge of transporting Steve all the way to Switzerland. After a nod towards the guards, the men give him a long look before finally stepping aside and giving Tony the chance of getting in.

He opens the door, balancing the two glasses with precision. Steve is behind the television when he gets inside. His face is full f surprise when he sees Tony enter. He jumps up from his bed. At least he’s no longer bound. He can walk and stand where he wants to go, except for outside.

“Tony?” he asks. Tony shrugs and drops the glasses next to the bed, on the nightstand. Then he takes off his jacket and throws it onto the chair in the corner of the room.

“Peter kind of urged me on to get here,” he admits. Steve chuckles. They don’t get close, keeping a good distance between themselves. Holy shit, it’s just like before they ever got together, always dancing around each other but never acting on it. “Want a drink? It’s without alcohol, don’t worry about my record.”

“I would love to,” Steve says with a smile. He takes the glass from Tony, and the two clink it together before taking a swing. When Tony realizes just how much sugar must have been poured into this sweet drink, he squeezes his eyes shut. Steve, too, looks like he’s just sucked on a lemon.

“That’s… different,” Tony groans out. “That’s the last time I’m letting Peter chose.”

Steve laughs in return. They put their glasses aside, agreeing that they’re not taking another try of that. Instead, Steve stands up and heads to the mini-fridge where he takes out two cans of coke. One small look towards Tony as confirmation later, the two are sitting on the bed with their backs on the bed board. Their legs are next to each other, but not touching. Neither are their shoulders. Together the two just drink and keep themselves busy watching TV on the first English program they come across. So what if it’s a re-run of ‘Say yes to the dress’? Nobody will ever know about this, after all.

It’s somewhere after the first episode that their hands finally find each other again. Fingers tangled together, Tony allows himself to lower his head until it’s resting on Steve’s shoulder. Neither of them speak about it. And eventually, Tony’s eyes start closing and he’s slumbering away. He’s only barely aware of Steve putting him in the bed in a comfortable position and kissing him on the cheek before turning off the TV and joining him in sleep.

With Steve tucked safely behind him, and his strong arms wrapped around his chest, protectively, Tony has never felt safer.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter manages to sneak in Yael room for about an hour. He’s followed by Wade and Wanda, and the four of them are seated on the ground with dessert room-service brought along with countless of drinks. And Yael talks, about where she’s been. And it all sounds extremely weird. The fact that it almost completely matches Bruce’s story is indication enough that she’s not lying. There’s stuff she’s not saying, but nobody asks after it. She’ll say it on her own time. After she finishes, Wade starts talking, too. Bringing up a story about another one of his small adventures with Logan somewhere in Spain. How they got there, he’s yet to clarify. It leads to lots of laughter and tears in the eyes.

Wanda talks about what she’s been doing in Wakanda; the help she’s been giving Barnes in his psychological recovery the moment he’s been awakened. The mood quickly changes when Wade starts asking about the smooching between her and Vision only an hour ago. Wanda, of course, turns red in the face and insists that it’s nothing.

The four of them fall asleep on the floor somewhere during their viewing of a ‘say yes to the dress’-rerun, though overnight Peter notices Yael leaving the room and returning hours later. They’re awakened by Vision, who comes with the news that they should get breakfast. With a groan, the four get up and follow the Android.

Peter knows it’s risky, the others seeing him hang out with this little group. Given the reaction Spider-Man had yesterday, people might put two and two together. But they’re all ‘heroes’ here. Everybody respects each other’s privacy.

When Tony passes them, he puts his hand through Peter’s hair and kisses him on the head.

“Good morning, Dad,” Peter says with his mouth full. “How was your night?”

“Leslie chose the wrong dress,” Tony mutters against his hair. Then he pulls back. Wade points out a finger towards Tony.

“I know, right?! She should have gone for the second dress!”

Tony smirks. “Steve agrees with you there. I was more a fan of the third dress, but whatever. It’s not like anybody will be wearing one for me.” He winks at Peter, ruffles through his hair again and starts making his way to the buffet. Then Yael, Wade _and_ Wanda all lean forward towards him with their eyebrows raised.

“They made up?” they ask simultaneously. Peter blinks for a few times, but then smirks and stands up to get some more bread.

“Of course they did,” he says. “They have me as relationship therapist, after all.” Afterwards he moves away from the table and joins his father at the buffet. “Everything went alright?” he asks, just to be sure. Tony turns to him with his empty plate in his hand, the smile on his lips genuine for the first time in a long while.

“Everything went perfectly, Petey,” he says. Then he bumps his hip against Peter’s and pulls up his hand with his watch on it. “Be sure to get changed in time. And you still know what you’re going to say when they ask you to sign?”

“I’ll say that I’ll sign the moment I’m 18,” Peter repeats what his Dad made him memorize in the past few days. Happy, Tony nods and slaps his shoulder gently. When Bruce shows up behind them, the scientist leans over them to reach for the bread.

“Bruciebear, if you wanted to get close, all you had to do was ask, darling,” Tony jokes. Bruce rolls his eyes.

“Idiot,” he responds. Peter snorts out a laugh but he, too, starts filling his plate. “Good morning, Peter.”

“Morning, Bruce!” Peter responds. Then he makes his way back to the breakfast table. They stay there for about fifteen more minutes before Peter hurries back into his room to get changed. With the hotel being close to the building they’re supposed to be, they all just go walking. Because of the weather Peter dresses for the occasion, pulling out a Spider-Man hoodie he once found in a shop in the streets and putting it on over his suit.

Once inside, he takes his place back between Tony and Sue. The digital copy of the accords is once again appearing before him, but nobody pays attention to it yet. Once again, everybody is talking. Peter even startles when suddenly somebody comes to sit on the table, right in front of him.

“Heya, pal, I’m Johnny Storm, but you can call me Torch if you want,” the guy says out of the blue. Peter looks up, raising an eyebrow though the kid in front of him can’t see that.

“I know who you are,” Peter responds, but accepting the handshake. “Mr. Stark told me to stay away from you.”

“He did?” Storm asks with genuine surprise in his voice. That moment, Tony takes his place next to Peter, quickly coming to realize that he’s being looked at. “Tony, my man, I’m insulted!”

“Whatever I did, I’m sure I had my reasons,” Tony responds automatically. “Now go and be a pretty-boy somewhere else, Storm.”

Johnny snorts but jumps up from the table. “He thinks I’m pretty,” he jokes. Then he nods towards Peter. “We should hang out once or twice.”

“And ignore Mr. Stark’s wishes? I should be ashamed of even considering it,” Peter jokes in return. Johnny lets out a laugh.  

“Live to be a rebel, my man,” Johnny returns. “That’s how I got my powers, after all. Sis went on a space trip, and I just followed her.”

“You went to space?” Peter asks, a bit surprised at that bit of information.

“Yeah, I wasn’t supposed to. Who would want a sixteen-year-old in Space, after all?” Johnny laughs. Then he slaps Peter’s shoulder and jumps off the table. “Now please, tell me you’re not one of those guys who dabs his way through conversation? Did you ever pull a Killer Clown prank on anybody?

“You’re weird,” Peter notes. Johnny shrugs.

“I’m spontaneous, there’s a difference.” Then he grabs the water bottle on the table and throws it up in the air, winking at Peter and hurrying back to his own place. When the bottle comes back down, it lands perfectly. _Holy crap, a perfect bottle flip,_ he thinks. Peter snorts, still a bit confused by how much the guy and Steve looks alike. If he wouldn’t have known any better, he would have thought them to be brothers with a larger age difference between them.

Wanda comes back with Barnes. This time, nobody stops talking. Neither do they when Steve returns with his guards. Bruce takes his place behind them. When Dr. Strange walks up to his place, he gives Peter a long stare before looking away. His friend Wong isn’t anywhere near him. Did he stay in New York, then?

Eventually it’s time to continue. They pick up right where they left off. Everybody throws in their notes, but Peter and the others of his age stay silent. They’re not experienced enough to know what exactly they’re supposed to say.

They call for another break after every hour. It’s the perfect occasion for a toilet visit, or to get another cup of coffee. Sharon once takes the moment to hurry towards Tony and ask him something Peter can’t hear. He doesn’t think it’s important since she hurries off again not five seconds afterwards.

At lunch, their break lasts an hour. Somebody brings in sandwiches, and most of them head outside to get a bit of fresh air. Peter just goes and sit with his friends for a bit. Nobody says anything when Johnny sits with them, pretending like he’s been part of the group since the beginning. Nobody minds, either. Wade even seems to like the sudden addition.

The hour goes quickly. Before they know, they’re back on their places to continue. It goes on, and on, and on. And right when Peter thinks he’s about to fall asleep, the man announces that, if everybody above the age of 18 agrees with the accords, they can put their signature underneath the digital copy. It’s a thing they’ve discussed almost the entire time. Or more; it’s something Tony has been insisting on.

So Peter doesn’t sign. Neither does Wanda. They look at each other, and Peter holds his thumb up. Soon, it’ll be their turn, after all.

“Now, for the matter of the Avengers and their role in the former disagreement with the accords,” the man starts immediately afterwards. Peter closes his eyes and sighs. He’d forgotten that they’d indeed not discussed this yet. Tony notices his discomfort and squeezes his shoulder for a moment.

“This won’t take too long,” he assures him.

And for that, the man starts with the Soldier. Bringing up his crimes under the influence of HYRDA, Peter notices the man almost shrinking in his seat. Especially with all the eyes trained on him. Except for Tony’s, who is simply staring ahead, refusing to turn around.

And the man talks; about how everybody agrees with the fact that Barnes had no control in what he did, that he was a victim of a bigger enemy, their puppet. They have his files, probably thanks to Natasha. They know everything that has happened. It’s a mutual agreement with everybody that he’s not to be held responsible for what happened. They clear his name on the spot, and applause comes up. Next to Barnes, Sam throws his arm over his shoulder and gives him a wide smile. Wanda, who is seated behind him, leans forward and pinches his arm lightly.

“As for the Avengers themselves,” the man continues. Everybody turns quiet again.

This is it, after all.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's 20 past midnight here, so officially the 25th! Merry Christmas to everybody, I hope you all have lots of fun today, whether it is with friends, family, or with your dear house pets because they matter, too!  
> CHapter warnings for this one? No, no they aren't. Enjoy

It’s the first Christmas with the Starks. Outside, it’s snowing. Children had been playing in the park, building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other. But nobody at the Stark household has time for that. With May busying herself in the kitchen – she’s the only one who can cook, after all – and Peter and Vision keeping themselves busy with preparing the table, one would think that the roles are pretty well divided.

Of course, that would be the case if Rhodey’s leg-prosthesis didn’t decide to spark out at the last point. Hurrying back towards the lab to fix the problem, they’re already finding themselves two men short despite Happy and Pepper arriving earlier to help out as well.

“It’s snowing outside, and we didn’t want to get stuck in traffic,” they had said when they arrived at the door. Nobody complains about that, of course. They just put their presents underneath the tree, Happy then helps out adding chairs and fetching the tables from the lower floors to add them upstairs.

“FRI, can you ask Dad how much longer he’ll be?” Peter asks after putting down the final plate. He’s counted about twenty plates so far, most of them for the Sousas and the Carters. Then Peter has to add one for Sharon’s surprise date, Pepper and Happy, aunt May, Vision, Wanda, Rhodey, Bruce (and his secret date?), Tony, Harry and then Peter.

There’s still enough place for more tables, but there’s not enough guests. Everybody knows it, but nobody mentions it.

 _“You shouldn’t celebrate Christmas here. Just have a party at home, and tell us all about it afterwards okay?”_ Steve had assured him. Everybody hates it, of course, but sentence is sentence. And while it’s not a long one, it’s still one they’ll all have to see through.

So there won’t be any Steve, Natasha, Clint or Sam at the tower tonight. Wanda was let free because of her age. After letting out the sentences, they’ve even made sure she’s got herself her American citizenship and a chance to get back to school. A chance not even Wanda will ignore.

But they’re going to make the best of it. Because the Carters and Sousas will be there! And while Peter might only have seen a few of them once or twice, he’s been in contact with the younger generations sometimes through Facebook.

“ _Mr. Stark asks me to assure you that he’s just finishing up and that he’ll be there in a few minutes,”_ FRIDAY says. Peter nods and sighs. When the door suddenly opens, Bruce (holding a large bowl) and another woman walk inside. The woman looks… strong. If anything, it seems like she feels probably a bit out of place, too.

“Guys! This is Brunnhilde! I thought I’d invite her since it’s her first Christmas ever,” Bruce says. He drops the bowl on the table, and Peter jumps up to greet the man. When he gets to the woman, he holds out his hand to shake. She gives it a confused look, turning back to Bruce. When he nods at her, she accepts the shake. Her hold is strong, surprising Peter.

Well, she _is_ kind of muscular, so it’s not _that_ much of a surprise.

“Welcome, I’m Peter,” he introduces himself. Then he points towards the others, mentioning their names. When he says Harry’s name, the boy smiles and waves back.

At first Peter had wondered why Harry isn’t celebrating Christmas with MJ. He just grunted, saying something about ‘Too soon’ and ‘meet the parents’, and never mentioned it again afterwards. Peter doesn’t ask about it.

He’s thought about inviting Wade (why even?) and Yael. They assured him they’re having a little celebration on their own, that they wouldn’t feel completely welcome. Peter knows it’s because the girl rather avoids Tony. That’s an issue to solve in the near future, but not yet.

“Peter! Can you come and prepare the snacks!” May shouts from the kitchenette. Peter nods, excusing himself from the woman Bruce brought along, and then hurrying towards his aunt who presses some bowls into his hands. “Harry, dear, can you take Bruce’s bowl to the kitchen, please?”

“Yes, May!” Harry returns, doing exactly what she’s asking. Peter grins back when Harry throws him a big smile. Thanks to the change in his medication scheme, at least the small panic attacks haven’t occurred again. That’s a small relief.

Tony eventually returns. He hugs Bruce, kisses Pepper on the cheek and squeezes Happy’s shoulder. Then he greets Brunnhilde with a kiss on the fingers, which the woman seems to find a bit strange.

“Tony! Stop messing around! Get the drinks out of the fridge!” Tony holds his hands up in the air in surrender.

“Yeah yeah, I’m on it, May!” he returns. He hurries towards the kitchenette, messing up Peter’s hair on the way – like always – and opens up the fridge where he takes out the non-alcoholic drinks he’d ordered. Peter had suggested to get something, but Tony had just chuckled and shaken his head.

 _“No, no, not after Switzerland,”_ he had said, and Peter had frowned and tried to ask what he meant, but never got a straight answer out of him.

Peter decides to help out. He hurries to the kitchenette as well, taking out the glasses they’ve prepared and handing a few to Harry.

“Just give them to the guests,” he says. Harry nods.

“Yes, sir,” he jokes, saluting him before taking the glasses and heading Rhodey’s way. The soldier is talking to Happy, seated on the couch and discussing a few of Tony’s old adventures while at the same time glancing in the direction of the kitchenette. Peter thinks he might try and listen in in a while.

Before that, he hands a glass to Bruce and his friend, Brunnhilde. The woman frowns when she sees the glass.

“This looks fragile,” she says. She has a strong accent on her voice that Peter can’t really place.

“Most things are more fragile on Earth, we’re not as strong as you are,” Bruce clarifies. Brunnhilde just inspects the glass for a bit before Tony arrives with the cooled bottle. When he fills the glass, she smiles.

“Ah, the good stuff!” she exclaims. Bruce then makes an awkward face.

“I’m afraid not, Hilde. Non-alcoholic only,” he explains. Brunnhilde gives him a shocked look, and Tony just chuckles.

“We can order something with alcohol if you really want it, it’s just mostly for my safety that I didn’t,” Tony explains, pointing towards his stomach. “New liver and all, need to take care of it.”

“A new liver? Were your healers unable to repair your previous one?” she suddenly asks. The look on Tony’s face surprises Peter a bit; it looks like… fondness?

“They weren’t,” he says. Brunnhilde makes an unimpressed face.

“They were amateurs,” she says. Tony snorts. After filling up the glass, he hurries towards Rhodey and Happy. Vision and Wanda, who have gotten a glass from Harry as well, are standing by the window. They’re keeping space between them; Peter wonders why they’re being so careful around each other?

When there’s the sound of glass breaking and Tony cursing, everybody turns around.

“It’s alright, it’s alright! Just forgot my strength!” he says, one hand up in the air. Rhodey is looking down in amusement as Tony hurries to get something to clean it up. It must be weird for everybody to see Tony clean up his own messes like that.

 _“George, Tom and Freddy Sousa are on their way up, Sir,”_ FRIDAY suddenly reveals. Tony curses again.

“Wait, what about Judith?” Peter asks in confusion. Why would George’s wife not be with them?

“ _She is not with them. I suggest you ask them after they get here,”_ FRIDAY offers. Peter rolls his eyes, hurrying back to the kitchen to grab a few more glasses. And a new one for Rhodey, who is still waiting for his drink.

“Dad, I’ll do the drinks, okay?” Peter suggests, taking the bottle from the table. Tony nods. With a little brush, they clean up the shards. Harry, in the meantime, decides to go talking with Wanda and Vision for a while. If they mistrusted Harry at first, at least now they’re not showing it anymore. Though Harry might be getting a few moments where he’s just staring ahead, deep in thought, he’s done nothing more than prove that he’s back to his old self.

Besides, he looks extremely happy with MJ. And while the pair might not celebrate Christmas together, they have plans for New Year. Ned and Peter are joining them, after all. He might even try and ask if the others want to join as well.

The Sousas entrance is mostly describable because of the two ten-year-old children running inside with their arms raised in the air as they search for their uncle Tony and cousin Peter. Remembering them from the funeral, Peter knows immediately that the twins might cause even more destruction than Tony does with the powers he’s still unused with.

As it turns out, George and Judith Sousa are getting a divorce. It’s sad news, but nobody lets it put a damper on the evening. Getting the chance to meet a bunch of superheroes, the twins are even happy. George just takes place on the couch with Happy and Rhodey and ends up in a deep conversation with them. Eventually, even May and Pepper join up again with their own glass. Dinner is as good as prepared, just spending its time in the oven. Knowing May’s culinary talents, he doesn’t know if it’s going to taste fantastic, or if it’s going to be a disaster!

Well, if it fails, they at least still have Bruce’s bowl with whatever he brought along.

Peter talks with the twins, even shows them his room and allows them to mess around on their tablet. He starts a conversation with George, listens in on Harry’s discussion with Vision. After twenty more minutes FRIDAY announces Paul and Betty’s arrival. They’re the children of Lisa Sousa, Aunt Peggy’s granddaughter. They’re both twenty and twenty-one years old, in college for an education Peter can’t really remember. Their mother and her husband, Stuart, are still on their way.

The penthouse slowly starts to get crowded, but that’s alright.

Peter busies himself with refilling the snacks, cleaning up the bits of spilled drinks, and making sure the twins don’t start running things over. He almost wonders if he should distract them with Dum-E, until Tony tells them they can go on the balcony to build a snowman. The twins, of course, yell in excitement and run outside once they’re dressed again. Wanda and Vision join them outside.

Standing somewhere close to the door, Peter and Harry look at the crowded penthouse. Sixteen people inside and they’re still expecting Dr. Cho, Maria Hill and Sharon. To think that Tony even invited Jane, Darcy and Erik… it might be for the best that they decided to do something small. As it turns out, Jane took Thor leaving not too well.

“So, this is what it’s like to have a big family,” Harry says all of the sudden, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a light smile on his face. Then he turns back to Peter. “Is this what you’ve always dreamt of?”

Peter shrugs, unable to hold back his own grin.

“It’s not that I’ve been actively dreaming of it, but I don’t really mind the addition,” he admits. “Of course, it would have been better if the others would have been here.”

“I can understand that,” Harry mutters out. “How much longer have they got?”

“One month,” Peter says. Thinking back of his friends all spending their Christmas in jail. Natasha not even with the others since men and women are separated. It must suck… They might only have had a sentence of two months, but it lasts long enough when you’re waiting for them.

“They’ll be back before you know it,” Harry assures him.

“ _Miss Sharon Carter is on way up,”_ FRIDAY announces. Almost everybody then turns their heads towards the elevator.

“Merry Christmas everybody!” Sharon shouts the moment she’s opened the door. Holding presents in one hand, she offers everybody a wide smile, and gives Tony and Peter both a kiss on the cheek before going towards Pepper to hug her in a greeting.  

After Dr. Cho and Maria arrive at last, Tony turns towards Peter’s Aunt. “I guess we can start warming up the food, then?” Tony suggests to her, and she nods. Putting down her glass, she heads towards the kitchenette. Ever the gentleman, Rhodey follows her to help her out. Tony then finally stands up, clearing his throat. “Guys, can I just… say something real quick?”

Everybody stops talking. While the twins are still outside, Vision and Wanda, too, listen in at the door. Tony, who is still holding his glass, loosens his tie a little bit before starting.

“I know, uh… things haven’t been the best this year. It was a real rollercoaster, full of good things, but also bad things. And I, uh… I feel like I must thank all of you for helping me, us, through it.” Tony raises his glass. “Thank you all for coming.”

Everybody raises their glass as well. Brunnhilde just copies Bruce and Sharon – it seems like the two women know each other. At least that’s good, right?

“But not everybody’s here yet,” Happy suddenly comments before anybody can drink. Tony lowers his hand again, giving Happy a questioning look.

“The others aren’t coming, Hap, I thought you knew that?” Pepper asks a bit awkwardly. Happy shakes his head.

“No but I mean they’re still on-“

Pepper slaps him on the arm, shushing him. Happy lets out a small cry of pain, and then rubs his arm. When Pepper then gives them an innocent face, Peter quickly realizes there’s something wrong. Tony, too, seems to understand.

“Okay, what’s happening? Please don’t tell me you’ve invited that douche from security? Or the X-men? Because I really don’t think we have much space in here, anymore.”

Tony gestures to everywhere around them. Pepper and Sharon try to shy away by hiding behind their glass without drinking from it. Happy quickly shakes his head.

“No, no, no everything’s fine. I didn’t invite anybody,” he quickly says. His word is proven wrong when there’s a sudden knock on the door.

“What the…?” Tony asks, turning towards Peter who just shrugs. He didn’t invite anybody else. At least nobody that could come.

“FRI?” Tony asks, looking up.

“ _I think you should see for yourself, sir,”_ she returns, ever so helpful. Everybody now looks at Tony, wanting to know what he’s going to do. Even May and Rhodey move away from the Kitchenette to find out what the drama is about.

So Ton finally moves. Everybody stays quiet, holding on to the toast as they all seem to realize it might not be over so soon. Impatiently, they wait for Tony to reach the door. Even Peter starts shuffling on his feet, a bit nervous. Harry snorts, next to him, finding his fidgeting amusing.

Tony finally opens the door. There are two figures standing there.

“Sam? Clint?” he asks in a loud shock. The two men smirk at him.

“Surprise!” they exclaim. Slapping Tony lightly on the shoulder, they make their way inside, surprising literally everybody in the room.

“They let us out for good behavior. Isn’t that great?” Clint, who is holding a few small presents in his hands, marches towards the tree as if he’s been living here for a few years as well. Sam stays standing at the door for a moment, making sure that Tony doesn’t get a stroke from the sudden excitement.

“Steve tried everything he could to be here,” he assures him, squeezing his shoulder for a bit. Tony, finally, moves, reaching out for Sam’s shoulder as well. Mirroring the movement, the two give each other a long, calm look before they turn back to the others. Tony opens his mouth to speak up, but suddenly Clint interrupts him.

“It helps that we might have saved the judge’s daughter during the Alien Invasion back in 2012,” he says. Then he takes one of the empty glasses and the bottle of champagne Maria brought along. “Hmm, Champagne. This looks good, man.”

Nobody stops him when he opens the bottle. There’s laughter, and low murmuring. Especially when Clint starts introducing himself to the Sousas while holding his glass in his hand. Peter even notices Brunnhilde moving towards the bottle to fill her glass with actual alcohol this time.

“FRI, better order some more drinks,” Tony mutters out, raising his glass to his mouth at last. Before he can drink, there’s another knock on the door. “Damn it, what is going on?”

Sam heads the others’ way, greeting Bruce and introducing himself to Brunnhilde. Before opening the door, Tony turns to Peter and Harry.

“Boys, would you maybe mind fetching another table from downstairs? You can ask a few of the others if they could help with some chairs.”

The boys nod, heading towards Wanda, Vision, Paul en Betty. Behind them, Tony finally opens the door. A few gasps come up, and it’s immediately clear why.

Because at the door there’s Nat, dressed in a nice dress. Behind her stands James Barnes, also dressed up formally, though looking extremely out of place. Tony just stares for a moment before Natasha walks inside, gently patting his cheek.

“I couldn’t leave him alone on Christmas now, could I?” she asks, as if it’s obvious. Tony stutters out an answer, but nothing really comes out. “C’mon, Tony. He’s not the same guy. You know that, right?”

Tony turns towards Natasha, blinking towards her. The room is silent again, all of them waiting to find out if Tony is going to allow Barnes inside or not. Eventually, Sharon steps his way and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Tony?” she asks. Tony finally clears his throat and lowers his head. Then he nods with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Yeah, uhm, welcome in, man,” he says. Happy cheers come up, which startles Barnes a bit. Peter can’t help but cheer out as well, especially when he sees Natasha’s proud face. She takes Barnes’ hand into her own and pulls him along. Tony takes a deep breath before closing the door again.

“Uh, Harry, can you ask the guys for the tables and chairs? I just need to say hi for a moment,” he says. Harry nods, continuing to where they were originally headed while Peter turns towards Natasha. Finally having red hair again, she looks more like the woman he remembers. It’s better this way, too.

“Ah, my fellow spider,” Natasha says with a wide smile. She opens up her arms and Peter walks right in them. Feeling her strong embrace around him, he can’t really believe that the evening is turning out this way. He wouldn’t have expected them to be here, and now here they still are! It’s probably the best surprise they could have. “You look great.”

“I feel great, especially now,” Peter says, pulling away from Natasha while the grin on his face stays wide. After that, Peter turns towards Barnes, who is still standing next to Natasha, though a bit awkwardly. “We’ve met before, but I’m Peter.”

Barnes gives him a frown before accepting the handshake Peter is offering. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you?”

“That’s alright, I’m not going to tell anybody I stopped your metal punch with my bare hands,” he says with a wink. Suddenly, there’s a small slap on his shoulder and Tony is standing next to him.

“I suggest you talk a little louder, Peter, I’m sure the kids outside haven’t heard that,” he mutters towards him a bit jokingly. Despite that, Peter can still feel the tension.

“Relax, Dad, nobody’s listening.” Peter gestures towards the entire room that has started talking to each other. The teenagers head towards the door to help out with the tables and chairs, and Peter decides he should join them. “I’ll be back soon.”

He winks towards Barnes, feeling like the guy might need a little push to feel comfortable. Natasha seems happy that he’s trying like that. Before he leaves the room he can see her slotting her arm in his as she pulls him along.

“That was a bit awkward,” Harry says once they’re all outside. Peter shrugs.

“I think it was alright,” he says. Wanda, too, agrees.

“Indeed, it could have been much worse,” she says. “Imagine Tony would have kicked him out?”

“Mr. Stark would never do that,” Vision counters, a bit insulted at the idea. Wanda assures him that she didn’t mean it by putting a hand on his arm. Paul and Betty ask for a quick update on who exactly that was. Peter gives them the short version of the story.

With a lot of grunting and cursing, they’re all in the elevator with enough tables and chairs – they hope. They might have raided Bruce’s floor to get to it, but they did what was asked of them. Once the elevator announces their arrival, George quickly comes to their aid to open the door. Sam and Happy help out as well, while the others shift the table further into the room to make place. Pepper and May are busy getting the plates, while Natasha starts searching for more glasses.

Everybody does their part. The twins are back inside, sitting in front of the heater while a movie plays on the TV. Paul, Wanda and Vision join them on the couch, trying to watch along. Clint, too, seems to be interested in the movie.

Peter checks on his Dad real quick, just to make sure everything is still alright. Tony assures him that he’s fine. He might have accidentally broken another glass, and Brunnhilde might have thrown hers on the ground yelling for another drink, but other than that everything’s fine.

It’s almost expected when there’s another knock on the door. Sam and Natasha give each other a knowing look, and Barnes, too, seems to look up expectantly. Tony just sighs before putting his glass down again.

But it’s obvious who it’s going to be. Because why would Sam and Clint and Natasha be let out earlier, and he wouldn’t? Why would they keep him in longer when he’s been locked up before them? It wouldn’t be fair, after all.

So Peter isn’t surprised when Tony opens the door and Steve is standing there, in a suit and his hair slicked back. Still unshaven, he looks very much like one of those models nowadays. Peter smiles as he looks at it.

“Steve,” Tony almost whispers out. Steve simply smiles in return, a bag with presents in his hands.

“Sorry I’m late, I had to do some last-minute shopping,” he says holding up the bag.

“But- Sam said-“

“I said he did everything he could to be here. And he did!” Sam shouts in the back. A few of the others laugh. “I’ve never seen such good behavior from _anybody_! No wonder they let us go!”

“We did save the judge’s daughter, remember?” Clint throws in, repeating what he said earlier. Tony ignores it as he stares at Steve in front of him. Then he jumps up, grabbing Steve by the tie and pulling him towards him. Sharing a strong kiss, literally _everybody_ in the room starts cheering and clapping, even louder than earlier. Especially the members of the Avengers all start making winning noises, while May and Pepper just stand at the sidelines with big smiles on their faces and clapping their hands. The kids look away in disgust.

“Steve Rogers, I love you so fucking much,” Peter hears Tony mutters against Steve’s lips. George protests jokingly that he needs to watch his language around the kids, but nobody listens to it as the pair kisses again and again. The bags with presents is now on the ground, Tony’s arms thrown over Steve’s shoulders while the Super Soldier holds Tony on the hips. Peter decides that it’s enough for now. He runs towards the couple and clears his throat.

“Uhm, hi there?” he tries. Steve pulls away from Tony slightly, grinning the moment he sees Peter standing there. Without fully pulling away from Tony he throws his arm over Peter’s shoulder and pulls him closer.

“Here’s my champ,” he says, kissing him on the head, very much as if Peter’s his own son. And Peter loves every minute of it. He doesn’t even mind when May, who has taken out the camera, makes a picture of them standing there. “I’m so glad to be back.”

“And we’re glad you are,” Peter says. Tony hums in agreement, simply resting his head on Steve’s shoulder with his eyes closed. This is probably the happiest Peter has ever seen Tony. It’s a good sight.

But then suddenly the others are there as well. First it’s Natasha who comes, joining in on the hug. She’s followed by Bruce, Clint, and eventually even Wanda and Sam. Rhodey slowly moves their way as well with Vision behind him to make sure he doesn’t fall. Feeling a bit like he’s squeezed to death in this group hug, Peter couldn’t imagine the night to get any better.

But it does. Because after everybody’s back to their business and May is announcing that the food will be ready in about fifteen minutes, Tony takes Peter apart and holds out his phone.

“We’ll wait until she’s here,” he says. Looking at the phone, Peter frowns.

“Who’s here?” he asks. Tony gives him an unimpressed look.

“You know who,” he says. “And that friend of yours can come, too, as long as he can watch his language around the kids.”

It takes a few more seconds for Peter to catch up. After that he smiles widely, taking the phone and watching his father walk back to Steve. Once the two have their arms wrapped around each other again, Peter dials Yael’s and Wade’s numbers, feeling like everything is finally back to normal.

Ah, well, as normal as it could be in this crazy family.

That’s probably how it is now, being a Stark.

 


	41. Epilogue

“Tony?”

Tony shifts, groaning as he pulls the covers closer to him.

“Hmmmmnoooo, ten more minutes,” he grumbles. He hears somebody chuckle behind him. Then there’s a hand on his side and a pair of lips against his neck. “Steeeeeeeve.”

“Toooooony,” Steve returns the complaint with a smirk. “I want to see your face.”

“If I turn around, can I stay in bed for a little longer?”

“You can stay in bed as long as you like, as long as I’m allowed to stay, too,” Steve jokes. Tony breathes out before turning around, finding Steve’s blue eyes almost immediately. He smiles when the man pulls him closer and kisses his lips.

“Hmmm, you have no idea how much I love that,” Tony whispers against his mouth. Steve grins through the kiss.

“I can imagine something,” he says. Then he pulls away slightly and lowers his face until he’s close to Tony’s chest. With gentle touches he slowly kisses over Tony’s scars. A loud sigh escapes Tony’s mouth, not used to having anybody treat his scars with this much respect.

Steve’s scars are barely visible. His were smaller than Tony’s anyway, but while Tony’s is still red, Steve’s are now faint. If you wouldn’t know about it, you wouldn’t see them. Lucky bastard.

“How’s my liver?” Steve asks against his skin. Tony snorts, passing a hand through Steve’s hair and massaging his scalp.

“It’s doing fine, sir,” Tony assures him. “Keeping me alive and strong.”

“So strong,” Steve agrees before going back up and returning to Tony’s lips.

“Too strong.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“I guess I’ll have to,” Tony agrees. Then he turns his head to the side when Steve nibs back underneath his ear. Looking at the new addition to his nightstand, he smiles. Without moving, he reaches out for the present, taking it in hand and pulling it closer. A warm feeling goes through him when he takes in the glowing blue Arc Reactor, very much made in some sort of trophy.

 _‘Proof that Tony Stark has an awesome son’_ it says. It’s a gift from Peter, something he got for Christmas (probably inspired by a certain Pepper Potts). To be honest, he thought they had both forgotten about the Arc Reactor. After Peter finished it, they stashed it somewhere safely, so nobody would get their hands on it. He should have known that Peter wouldn’t want it locked up like that.

“You have an awesome son, indeed,” Steve says, pulling himself back up until his head is resting on Tony’s shoulder. With a hand staying on Tony’s chest, the two lie together, staring at the Arc Reactor.

“ _We_ have an awesome son,” Tony corrects him before putting the present down again and turning back to Steve. Before Steve can say anything else, they both can hear the first few footsteps in the hallway. Somebody’s up.

It’s followed by a knock on their door. Both Steve and Tony jump out of bed to put on at least a little bit of clothing.

“Hold on!” Tony shouts, stumbling as he pulls up his shorts. He grunts when he falls down on the ground. Steve laughs, but helps him back on his feet.

“ _Ew, you two are gross, come on!”_ Peter complains behind the door.

“No! We’re not-! Not that!” Steve quickly counters, finally opening the door the moment Tony’s back on his feet.

“Not right now, at least,” Tony mutters. Peter, who is fully dressed and seemingly extremely awake, makes a disgusted face, looking like he already regrets knocking on the door.

“What’s wrong, Petey?” Steve asks, leaning a bit against the door. Tony shuffles up behind him and wraps his arm around his middle. After all this time apart, all he wants is to just be close for a moment.

“I, uh, I got a text from Johnny. He wants to patrol for a bit. I just wanted to let you know.” Peter shrugs while he holds up his phone. Tony presses his face against Steve’s back and pulls him closer to him.

“Of course, Peter, thanks for telling us,” Steve says, chuckling a bit when Tony squeezes his middle tighter. “Tell him we said ‘hi’, okay? And be careful!”

“Will do. Don’t forget that you have to be somewhere in an hour!”

“Ah, our Peter, trying to remind us of our agenda,” Tony sighs. Peter snorts.

“Yeah, that’s true. So I hope you’re not forgetting about your meeting with the board today?”

Tony groans, pressing his face against Steve’s shoulder while the Super Soldier starts laughing. Peter, too, lets out a chuckle. Then he leans against the door opening and crosses his arms.

“Seriously, Dad, Pepper’s gonna kill you if you’re not there. It’s only a few hours, then we can watch this guy here on the TV, okay?”

“I still don’t understand why I can’t join. I’ve been a founding member of the Avengers!” Tony complains, not really _entirely_ happy about being excluded from the interview. And it’s not really that, either. An actual talkshow with the current members of the Avengers now that they’re back. It’s _big_ news!

“I gave you the offer to come back, Tony,” Steve admits. “You didn’t want to.”

“At least a year after the surgery! Not permanently!” Tony counters. Steve and Peter roll their eyes. “C’mon, I love being an Avenger!”

“And I love you,” Steve says, turning towards Tony to capture his lips again. Peter clears his throat and turns around.

“Aaaaaand, I’m out!”

The moment Peter leaves the penthouse, the two find themselves back in their bed despite the urgent need to prepare themselves. Steve on his back, with his hands on Tony’s cheeks while pressing their foreheads together, Tony leaning on his elbows as he moves and breathes out heavily. It goes on, and on, and on. And when they thumble over the edge, Tony rolls over and drops down on his back. They’re both completely out of breath and sticky in all the wrong places.

“We need a shower,” Steve chuckles. Tony groans and rolls back over, pressing his face in the pillow.

“Noooooooooooh!” he complains. Quickly, Steve crawls towards him, leaning on his back and travelling his finger over his skin.

“Honey?”

“Baby?”

“Since when do you call me that?” Steve asks questioningly, though sounding amused.

“I don’t know, it just came out. You know how my brain works.”

With tired smiles on their faces, the two stay there for a little while. Seconds tick by, the moment where they have to leave coming closer and closer.

“Do you remember, back in prison?” Steve suddenly asks. Tony doesn’t move.

“Hmmmm?”

“When, uh, when Peter came with you, and we talked things out.”

“Hmmmm,” Tony agrees, indeed knowing what he was talking about.

“You thought I was about to propose.”

Tony startles, feeling his body freeze up. Wait, is Steve seriously going to talk about this again? Steve seems to have notices his sudden reaction. He pulls away a little bit allowing Tony to sit up again. The moment he faces him, his eyes can’t leave him.

“Don’t tell me you have a ring hidden somewhere?” Tony asks, hating the panic in his voice. Steve chuckles nervously, but shakes his head.

“No, no, of course not,” he says. Tony lets out a relieved breath, feeling his heart calm down a little bit. He would probably have had a heart attack if Steve would hate just popped the question right here, right now. “Just, I wanted to ask…”

“Oh no, you’re going to ask anyway, aren’t you?”

He can’t place the look on Steve’s face. It’s not really hurt, but it’s clearly also not happiness in its true form.

“I’m not, Tony. Honey, stop talking for a moment,” Steve calls out, grabbing his hands while crawling forward for a bit.

“Okay, I’ll stop talking,” Tony mutters out. “I’ll be super quiet.”

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re still talking,” Steve points out.  Tony presses his lips together.

“I’m sorry,” he continues.

“Shhhh.” Then there’s another kiss on the lips. Tony shuts his mouth at last, waiting for Steve to continue. “Honey, I’m not proposing, it’s _way_ too early for that. But you had me thinking if… if there’s ever any chance for-“

“Getting married? Steve, are you serious? Why would you even want to-?”

Steve puts his finger on Tony’s lips to shut him up.

“You’ve never been one to stay quiet, have you?” Steve asks jokingly. Tony sighs, nodding in agreement.

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” he takes a deep breath, “I _have_ thought about it in the past. Getting married, have kids, a house whatever else. But… sweetie, I’m almost fifty. You’re… you’re basically thirty-two if you ignore the ice-time.”

Tony squeezes into Steve’s hands, lowering his eyes as he tries to figure out how exactly to explain this. He wants nothing more than for Steve to understand, but with how badly he can put it into words… The possibility is rather low.

“What I’m trying to say, uh… I’m not… ready? I mean, I’m definitely old enough, and any normal person would say yes instantly, but I… I need more… stability? Assurance?”

“Tony, you’re not making any sense,” Steve returns, sounding confused. Tony sighs and gets himself out of bed. He ignores the fact that he’s naked, just walking around in the room as he tries to get his words straight. How can he explain this well?

“Look at it this way; You love me. I get that. But at the same time, I don’t always _believe_ it. And that’s not _your_ fault, it’s mine entirely. And I could say yes when you propose in, say, a year? But if we would go for it, I would constantly be waiting for you to decide you have enough of me. And it’s not fair on you.”

“Tony, you know that won’t happen,” Steve assures him. Tony shakes his head and makes a wave with his hands to shut him up.

“I know, but I also _don’t_ know. We can’t predict the future. We already broke up once, it’s still a possibility.” It’s a complete mess. Tony’s thoughts are going in overdrive. He wouldn’t be surprised if there’s smoke coming out of his ears.

Steve gets out of bed as well. He walks towards Tony, takes his arms into his hands, and gently shakes him.

“Tony,” he says, trying to get his attention. Tony looks up at him, trying to figure out if Steve is disappointed in him. “If I understand correctly, you say it’ll happen, but not in the coming few years. Am I right?”

Tony nods, but he doesn’t speak. Steve then smiles and leans forward to press their lips together.

“I suggest a deal, okay?”

Tony nods again. Steve smiles.

“When you’re ready, you’ll be the one to ask, alright?”

Tony returns the smile. Then he nods.

“I think I can go with that agreement,” Tony agrees. The two lean forward again one more time, but before they can meet each other in between, the door flies open.

“YOOO CAP WE’RE HEADIN’ OU- OOOH CHRIST MY EYES ARE BURNING AAAAAH!”

Steve and Tony jump apart, the latter dropping down on the ground until he’s hidden behind the bed. Steve grabs the sheets, putting it around him in an attempt to hide himself away.

“YOU CAN’T KNOCK?! WHAT THE FUCK, CLINT!” Steve shouts. Tony snorts when he hears Steve curse for what must be the first time ever. When he gets a glare from Steve, he quickly pretends like he’s coughing, instead.

“Smooth, Barton,” Natasha suddenly says, taking Clint’s place at the door and leaning up against it. With an unimpressed glare she looks at Steve. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? The all-responsible Steve Rogers couldn’t even get showered in time? You smell like sex.”

Tony can see Steve turn red almost over all his body. It’s kind of adorable.

“He was too busy talking about marriage,” Tony jokes.

“You’re getting married? Isn’t that a bit soon?” Sam asks, suddenly appearing as well. He doesn’t seem as put off as Clint when it comes to a half-naked Steve Rogers.

“I wanna be the mate of honor!” Clint shouts in the background.

“There’s no such thing, you idiot!” Sam counters. Tony can hear Scott, Bruce, Wanda and Vision laugh further away.

“If anybody’s gonna be the maid of honor, it’s me,” Natasha counters unimpressed.

“NOBODY’S GETTING MARRIED! LET ME GET READY DAMN IT!” Steve shouts, hurrying towards bathroom with their bedsheet wrapped all around him. Tony just smirks, finding an angry Steve all too adorable.

“Isn’t he cute?” Tony asks without thinking about it. Natasha groans, and Sam rolls his eyes before turning away.

“Tell Steve he has ten minutes before we leave,” Natasha warns him. Tony holds up his thumb. Then he jumps up the moment the two aren’t looking again, and he gets to the same door Steve went through.

That evening, Tony, Peter, Rhodey and May are seated on the couch with a large bowl of pop-corn. Peter with his feet thrown over Tony’s legs and his back leaning against the side of the couch. May and Rhodey are cuddled up against each other, sharing their drink as they watch the screen. The two hit it off during the Christmas party, getting to talk and afterwards keeping up contact. Nobody was really surprised when they went on their first date only a week after the party.

And when Steve comes up on the screen along with all the other Avengers, shaking the host’s hand, he smiles. He can’t not; Steve is just too perfect.

The show is interesting; they ask about what the Avengers have been up to lately, what exactly has been new in their lives, details as to why Iron Man is temporary out of commission (Tony and Pepper put together a statement that they were allowed to share tonight if the subject would come up).

But in between asking for a few of the personal questions – nobody reveals too much, of course – it’s Steve who steals the spotlight when he announces right then on the spot that he’s in a relationship with Tony.

They might have spit out their drinks on the screen, and the bowl of pop-corn might have been dropped on the ground. Nobody would have thought Steve to _actually_ do it.

But at the same time, Tony is glad. There’s no more hiding now, after all. And as he looks at his smiling son next to him, all he feels is pride, happiness. The exact opposite of what he felt precisely one year ago. He’s a father, he’s in a stable relationship, he’s sober and even healthier than before, if possible. If he can get used to the serum inside of him with Peter and Steve’s help, he’s got nothing to complain about.

He’s happy. What more can he even dare ask for?

 

 

 

 

** The End **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The journey's over, I can't believe it!  
> I remember how fast suddenly the chapters seemed to rush out, while, when I started the story all the way last year I had only gotten about four chapters done until August 2017. It all went by so fast, I can't really comprehend it.  
> I would first of all like to thank Caspinn! I'm sorry I've been bugging you with ever little suggestion about this story. She's not a Steve/Tony shipper, and the fact that she agreed to collaborate on this story with me, to allow this story to be a part of hers, means so much to me. As it is, I'm sorry I put you through all this fluff and mushy stuff, but I'm sure you've survived given that we're still spending New Year at my place ;-)  
> Secondly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you, dear readers. Without you, I wouldn't have found the excitement of writing this story in such a quick speed. In comparison to my other stories, this one really just practically flew out of my fingers. Because you've been keeping on motivating me. Whether it was with kudo's, comments, bookmarks or subscriptions. I never for one moment felt like I was writing without anybody reading it, while I've been feeling like that with my other stories in the past. You've all been so participant, giving me ideas and unknowingly stimulating me to change some things, try out stuff. I know there have been some unanswered things in this story, which will be addressed in the timestamps OR in the possible sequel for which I've already made a banner (shame on me). There are ideas, and if it's going to happen it's going to be WAY shorter than this one, but it's a possibility that, after the exams, I might start typing up the story after all this! 
> 
> Anyway, I wish you all happy holidays! If you're from around my time-zone, a good night! I'm about ready to head to bed and get all the sick out of me, because I'm tired of coughing my brains out!  
> Art has been made for the story, and more WILL still be made. If you're interested, don't be afraid to check out my tumblr  
> on destielallaround.tumblr.com where I'll be posting these once they are completely finished and edited! 
> 
> Bye bye, I suppose I'll start proof-reading the story on here now that it's completely out there! 
> 
> With love  
> Emma all the way from little Belgium (where we don't have a white Christmas, I'm heartbroken :'( 
> 
> UPDATE: A sequel for the story is up! It's called 'Something About Peter' and describes the events that happened after the Infinity War! It's going to be about 24 chapters, though it could be more! It's the final part of this series (so far), so if you're interested, you can find it there!


End file.
